Cloned meat and milk

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration {FDA) is expected to rule that cloned meat and milk from their offspring are safe to eat. But are U.S. consumers willing to welcome one of the most controversial achievements to the dinner table?

Hundreds of cloned pigs, cows, and other animals already live on farms around the country and, if the FDA grants approval, that could lead to choice cuts of steak and cartons of milk produced from cloned cattle being offered in retail outlets over the next several years. One such company is Viagen, located in Austin, Texas, where cloning technology is being refined to produce cloned meat.

Many agribusinesses believe that genetic copies are not different from selective breeding, and the next logical step in improving the nation's livestock. However, consumer groups say many Americans are likely to be nervous about the idea of serving cloned milk to their children or cooking meat from clones and have urged regulators to delay a decision until those fears can be calmed.

"A train wreck is coming," said Carol Tucker Foreman of the Consumer Federation of America, commenting on cloned meat and milk . "It's not about the science. It's how people see their food."


While cloned milk might reach grocery store shelves, cloned animals themselves are not likely to be eaten since they cost up to $15,000 to produce. (It costs about $2,000 to raise a conventional steer.) They would be used as breeding stock, so the real question is whether their offspring would be safe for providing cloned meat.

However, studies have shown that cloned meat and milk cannot be distinguished from that of normal animals, although work is not complete and researchers say that clones do suffer subtle genetic abnormalities (our emphasis), and many die young. Moreover, issues regarding the humane treatment of animals, where the donor eggs come from, and other concerns, have yet to be addressed.

The FDA had said an announcement was likely within the next few weeks, but the recent resignation of FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford may delay it to the end of the year or longer. Once a decision is made, a report draft on the safety of eating and drinking from cloned meat and milk and tentative rules governing the sale of these foods will be released. (For news updates, please visit the News you can use page.)

Even after the FDA reaches a final decision, livestock producers will need up to four years or more to raise offspring ready for slaughter, and many dairy farmers may ignore the technology until the cost of cloning falls. (Source: Gourmet Retailer, Oct. 2005)

Regardless of what the FDA decides, it's up to consumers to voice their concerns about cloning, and to insist upon proper labeling of the food we eat. Many of us may decide to avoid this issue altogether by going vegan. However, it's important that consumers who have concerns remain vocal about this significant trend, which will impact humans and animals alike.

ADD TO YOUR SOCIAL BOOKMARKS: Blink Del.icio.us Digg
Furl Google Simpy Spurl Technorati Y! MyWeb