o
the Editor:
"Ranking Risks of Gene-Altered Animals" (editorial, Sept. 4) says
that food safety risks are "no great problem" and that the risk of
allergic reactions may have "to be accepted if the nation wants
genetically improved foods."
Allergic reactions can be fatal. There is no need to accept any
increased risk of allergic reaction introduced into genetically
engineered foods.
The Food and Drug Administration could largely prevent such reactions
if it required genetically engineered foods to be tested and approved
before they go on the market, the way it does food additives.
There is even a protocol for the agency to follow: last year a panel
convened by the Word Health Organization and led by the National
Institutes of Health's top food allergy expert spelled out an
appropriate testing regimen. MICHAEL HANSEN
Yonkers, Sept. 5, 2002
The writer is a research associate, Consumers Union.
