URGENT, PUBLIC COMMENTS ON IRRADIATED FOOD AND MEAT SAFETY.

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URGENT, PUBLIC COMMENTS ON

IRRADIATED FOOD AND MEAT SAFETY .

 

 

Dear Concernd Friend ,

 

In this email, we have two " PUBLIC COMMENTS " related to

the Irradiated meat and Meat Safety.

Please send your letter today as soon as you can.

We enclosed all of the sample letters for your references.

thanks.

 

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PUBLIC COMMENTS 1 :

 

PUBLIC COMMENTS ON IRRADIATED FOOD :

TELL FDA THAT YOU WANT HONEST , CLEAR LABELING

OF IRRADIATED FOOD !

 

 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), some members of Congress,

and the irradiation industry are trying to limit your right to know about

how your food is produced.

 

FDA is seeking permission from the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) to bamboozle the public by rushing through a plan to conduct

focus groups to find euphemisms to disguise the fact that food has been

irradiated, so that consumers will be more likely to buy it. The FDA is

considering weakening the already feeble labeling requirements by

permitting the food industry to use the phrases " cold pasteurization "

or " electronic pasteurization. "

 

Please write to OMB and urge them not to allow the focus groups

because the American public has already spoken on this issue;

we want clear and conspicuous labeling of irradiated foods!

 

The deadline for comments is : APRIL 9th.

(Even though it just passed deadline, please, let's try to

send this important letter to them today anyway.

They will still consider your comments.).

 

Send Comments to:

 

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs,

OMB,

Docket No. 01N-0135,

New Executive Office Bldg.,

725 17th Street NW., RM. 10235,

Washington, DC 20503,

Attn: Desk Officer for FDA

 

 

SAMPLE LETTER :

 

 

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

OMB

Docket No. 01N-0135

New Executive Office Bldg.

725 17th Street NW.

RM. 10235

Washington, DC 20503

 

Docket No. 01N-0135

Attn: Desk Officer for FDA

 

 

Dear OMB,

 

I am writing regarding Docket No. 01N-0135, Agency Emergency

Processing Under OMB Review; Focus Group Study of Radiation

Disclosure Statement Options For Foods Treated With Ionizing Radiation.

I urge you to deny the Food and Drug Administration's request to

expedite the collection of information from focus groups.

 

Additionally, I oppose the weakening of labeling requirements.

Labeling needs to be clear and conspicuous, not misleading.

Any changes to the current allowable phrases, " treated with radiation "

or " treated by [or with] irradiation " , would be deceptive.

The current labeling language does not provide consumers with

adequate information about irradiation. Please do not allow

this inaccuracy to go even further.

 

Many other citizens agree with me. Despite the fact that the FDA

received over 20,000 comments opposing any changes in the

current labeling requirements for foods that have been irradiated,

which included a petition with over 16,000 signatures opposing

any attempt to weaken labeling, they have indicated the issue lacks

" consensus " and are now going so far as to commission focus groups.

 

I respectfully request you do not grant the FDA's request of emergency

processing and oppose any further weakening of labeling requirements.

 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Your Name

Your Address

City, State, zip.

 

----------------------

(Source References : Public Citizen :

http://www.citizen.org/cmep/alerts/radfoodintldoselimit.htm )

 

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PUBLIC COMMENTS 2 :

 

 

PUBLIC COMMENTS ON USDA MEAT SAFETY .

DEADLINE: JUNE 28, 2001

 

PUBLIC MEETING DATE: May 9 and 10, 2001,

FSIS will hold a public meeting in Washington, DC, to

provide information and receive public comments specific

to the proposed regulations

 

 

ENCLOSED A SAMPLE LETTER. (Our Key Points).

 

On Feb. 20, 2001 , The USDA re-submitted to the Federal Register

a proposed regulation to help prevent contamination by Listeria and

other harmful pathogens.

 

The proposed regulation, originally submitted in January 2001, would

require meat and poultry establishments to conduct food contact surface

testing for generic Listeria or address post-lethality contamination in

their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans.

 

The proposed regulation identifies the need for additional

scientific information and analytical data that, if addressed, could

strengthen the scientific foundation of the rule. In order to facilitate

public input and gather additional information, USDA's Food Safety

and Inspection Service will schedule public meetings to discuss the

scientific issues behind the proposal during the 90-day comment period.

USDA's Agricultural Research Service will participate in the scientific

discussions.

 

DEADLINE: EXTENTED Comments must be received on or before

JUNE 28, 2001.

 

ADDRESS:

 

Submit ONE original and TWO copies of written comments to :

 

FSIS Docket #97-013P,

U.S. Department of Agriculture,

Food Safety and Inspection Service,

Room 102, Cotton Annex,

300 12 St., SW.,

Washington, DC 20250-3700.

U.S.A.

 

 

NOTE: You may also send a COPY of your letter to

Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman and

Secretary of Health and Human Services . The Contact info:

 

The Honorable Secretary Ann Veneman

U.S.D.A.

Fax: (202) 720-2166

Tel: 202-720-3631

email: ann.veneman (@usda.gov )

 

The Honorable Secretary Tommy G. Thompson

Health and Human Services,

Phone......: 202-690-7000

Fax........: 202-690-7203

Address:

200 Independence Ave., S.W.

Room 615-F

Washington, DC 20201

 

Executive Staff Analyst to the Secretary,

Jolinda Gaither

Phone......: 202-690-7000

Fax........: 202-690-7203

E-mail.....: jgaither (@os.dhhs.gov )

Address:

200 Independence Ave., S.W.

Room 615-F

Washington DC 20201

 

 

All comments submitted in response to this notice will be available

for public inspection in the Docket Clerk's Office between

8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

 

Daniel L. Engeljohn, Ph.D., Director,

Regulation Development and Analysis Division,

Office of Policy, Program Development, and Evaluation,

Food Safety and Inspection Service,

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Tel: (202) 720-5627

 

For more detail , please refer to the following site:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/Publications.htm

(click 2001 , will see detail public meeting date etc.

you will also see other Federal Registers too.)

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/97-013P.htm

 

 

KEY POINTS IN THE LETTER TO USDA

Do NOT forget to specify : FSIS Docket #97-013P,

 

(Note: you may write your own letter as you wish. )

 

 

1: PLEASE STOP IRRADIATED MEAT AND POULTRY :

The Reasons :

 

Irradiation destroys vitamins, essential fatty acids and other

nutrients in food--sometimes significantly. Research has revealed a

wide range of problems in animals that ate irradiated food, including

premature death, a rare form of cancer, reproductive dysfunction,

chromosomal abnormalities, liver damage, low weight gain and

vitamin deficiencies.

 

Irradiation will further more masks and encourages filthy conditions

in slaughterhouses and food processing plants. Irradiation can kill most

bacteria in food, but it does nothing to remove the feces, urine, pus and

vomit that often contaminates beef, pork, chicken and other meat.

Irradiation will not kill the pathogen that causes mad cow disease.

 

In legalizing food irradiation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

did not determine a level of radiation to which food can be exposed and

still be safe for human consumption, which federal law requires.

Moreover, the FDA relied on laboratory research that did not meet

modern scientific protocols.

 

Irradiation disrupts the chemical composition of everything in its path.

Scores of new chemicals are formed by irradiation, which do not naturally

occur in food and that the FDA has never studied for safety.

 

 

2: Please clearly Label the Irradiated meat and poultry including

the raw meat . The Label must be clear without misleading.

 

3: Please LABEL the exact content of the saturated fat and cholesterol

on All of the meat and poultry products including all of the raw meat

with big, clear easy to read labels. The saturated fat and cholesterol

have

been causing the death of 1.4 millions of Americans each year by

inflicting them with heart diseases, diet related cancers , diabetes and

strokes, according to USDA Economic Research Service .

 

3: Please LABEL the exact content of the Growth Hormone used

in the animals while they were alive. There are many cancer reports

that Growth Hormone or BGH Hormone could cause cancers.

For public health, it is extremely important to label the Hormone

content on all of the meat and poultry including the raw meat.

 

4: Please carry the " WARNING LABEL " on all of the meat and poultry

products including raw meat that

" Meat and Poultry may cause Heart Disease and Cancers. "

According to American Heart Association Statement On Coronary

Heart Disease Death Statistics on Feb.16, 2001 that 60.8 million

Americans who suffer from all forms of cardiovascular disease currently.

 

 

 

Thanks so much for your important help to send COMMENTS

to USDA on Meat and Poultry issue.