1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

Did you know the FDA lets companies decide on their own what is safe to add to our food - AND there's no mechanism in the law to control it? Telling the FDA what they put in food is, for the most part, totally voluntary. A company just has to claim it's "GRAS" (generally recognized as safe) and they don't have to tell anyone whether they use it or not. Known poisons and carcinogens are regulated, but if somebody comes up with an additive "made from natural sources", it's considered "safe" as long as the parent ingredient is "safe". It's the home of things like added "natural flavors" and "from natural sources" on labels. It doesn't even have to come near a "natural" whatever as long as the identifying chemicals show up somewhere in the process of making it. The foxes are guarding the hen houses and eating very well, thank you very much. This has to change. You have a chosen duty to protect your constituents from avoidable harm. The law needs to be changed to give the FDA some real teeth when it comes to our food supply. In all likelihood there will be pushback from ALL the companies involved, any FDA personnel getting "compensation", and probably even legislators being pressured by the above 2 groups, at a minimum. Take the ability to make "voluntary" notifications away, make them mandatory - with ALL lab tests and reports, and require real testing, the kind that has previously been used to determine safety. Require relevant testing. Remember DDT? "It's safe. Spread it everywhere and save us from the vile bugs!" until they started looking at the right tests - the ones that looked for damage beyond insects. You have a duty to recognize the problem and do something about it now before it starts obviously causing problems and the lawsuits start, even naming the FDA as complicit. How much do you think taxpayers can be screwed to cover THAT once the proverbial hits the fan? I realize you have your work cut out for you. Stop Trump by any means possible. Restore the Constitution. And now you get to save the nation's food supply from nefarious actors. I know you are up for it and everything will be taken care of as soon as possible. Especially the Trump problem. Thank you