Cloned animal meat!

[Incognito]

Oct. 18, 2006 — The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it was moving closer to approving meat and milk from cloned animals, and some consumer groups are outraged.

* Related: Would You Eat Food From Cloned Animals?


Although it sounds like science fiction, in the very near future, milk and meat from cloned animals could be as close as the corner store.

Since Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult cell, sheep, cows and pigs have been cloned for research and breeding.

"We are not convinced that this is safe food," said Jaydee Hanson, program director for the Center for Food Safety. "We haven't seen the facts that would convince us."

A recent poll conducted by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology shows that 60 percent of Americans are uncomfortable with the idea. Most cited religious and ethical concerns, followed by safety.

While the FDA asks food producers to voluntarily keep copied animals out of the food supply, Dr. Stephen Sundlof, chief of FDA veterinary medicine, said in a statement this type of food was safe.

"Meat and milk from cattle clones and their offspring are as safe as that from conventionally bred animals," he said.

But many people told ABC News that they would eat food from cloned animals only if it were clearly marked.

But cloned food may not be labeled. Experts said it would be too difficult to separate meat in processing plants derived from clones.

"It's very possible that these products will end up on grocery-store shelves without any specific labels identifying them as having come from cloned animals," said Michael Fernandez, executive director of the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology.

It is estimated that there are only between 600 and 2,000 cloned animals in the United States.

The FDA could approve this as early as next year when its final safety report is expected. The food could be on grocery-store shelves shortly thereafter.


http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2580885&page=1

[WilliamJ]

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2580885&page=1

Nothing wrong with this as far as I can see?

[cassandra]

So really this could already be out there. Gosh. I am trying to figure out how I feel about it. Wish they knew if the meat was actually safe. I am thinking how can it not be but something is nagging me. Must think more on this issue.

[WilliamJ]

So really this could already be out there. Gosh. I am trying to figure out how I feel about it. Wish they knew if the meat was actually safe. I am thinking how can it not be but something is nagging me. Must think more on this issue.

There is nothing wrong with cloned meat.

Once the cloning part is done it is just a cow, there is no danger.

[WilliamJ]

I don't know...all of a sudden the term "prefabricated meat" comes to mind and it doesn't really sound that appetizing either.

All cloning activities are done with the first cell division.

You have nothing to wory about.

[Indy]

We already consume a lot of genetically engineered veggies and fruits. :shrug

I don't know how I feel about this really but I'm not surprised that it is coming.

[Doc]

We already consume a lot of genetically engineered veggies and fruits. :shrug

I don't know how I feel about this really but I'm not surprised that it is coming.

Another aspect of this is to drive the farmers into the ground and make them subservient to large corporate interests. They do this by means of the altered foods do not reproduce so the farmers must be reliant on these controlers to buy new seeds every year. Needless to say it rolls down hill from there........think gulag for the masses. A site you may like is infowars.com Alex Jones, I listen to him on Short Wave.

[Kitka]

I don't know enough about it to support or oppose it, but I have to think that cloned meat wouldn't pose any particular health risks that 'regular' meat would.

Then again, I'm a vegetarian... :whistle

[sparks]

I don't know...all of a sudden the term "prefabricated meat" comes to mind and it doesn't really sound that appetizing either.

[Knight'sWife]

cloned meat may be fine but sounds gross...

[TrueBlue]

At the present time, I cannot imagine how cloning would save money for farmers or consumers. Any farmer can learn to buy semen and AI cows. Semen can be really expensive, but as expensive as cloning? Doubt it.

Artificial insemination of farm animals is very common in today's agriculture industry, especially for breeding dairy cattle (75% of all inseminations) and swine (up to 85% of all inseminations). It provides an economical means for a livestock grower to breed their herds with males having very desirable traits.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_insemination

[Incognito]

Yeah, I guess I"m confused as to why we're even bothering to clone animals? I can imagine it's extremely expensive.

[cassandra]

I wonder how close we really are to this.

[Lisa]

IMO cloned meat may be as safe as regular meat but then again...how safe is regular farm-bred meat? I think that the dangers present in mass slaughterhouse meat usually come from what the cows are fed and how they live versus how they came to life. Just something to think about. Cloned sheep have shown susceptability to coming down with diseases much earlier than non-cloned sheep (and this is probably true of other animals as well) so my question is could they keep the cows or chickens healthy and disease free up until the time they need to butcher them? This issue brings up so many questions for me.

[cassandra]

Do you have info on the sheep getting more sick?

[TrueBlue]

IMO cloned meat may be as safe as regular meat but then again...how safe is regular farm-bred meat? I think that the dangers present in mass slaughterhouse meat usually come from what the cows are fed and how they live versus how they came to life. Just something to think about. Cloned sheep have shown susceptability to coming down with diseases much earlier than non-cloned sheep (and this is probably true of other animals as well) so my question is could they keep the cows or chickens healthy and disease free up until the time they need to butcher them? This issue brings up so many questions for me.

You are right, the meat supply is already not that safe.

[Knight'sWife]

Great points Lisa...
Besides meat is tasting way to gamey to me...I hate when the change to winter feed.

[Hunter]

We're seeing the result of over-medication of livestock, especially with antibiotics over past decades. Such overuse in the food chain tends to reduce the effectiveness of once great medications. Disease causing bacteria build resistance to drugs just as a junkie does and requires ever increasing doses or development of newer, stronger ones. It makes no difference whether the sick is livestock or human. The result is the same. The disease doesn't differentiate.
I see little difference in the risk factor of cloned meat over normally grown and processed stock.
One other point: Cloning will become less expensive as it becomes more prevalent, just as did AI for selective breeding.

[cassandra]

Okay I think I have formulated my opinion on this one. Thanks for all the great information provided and for pushing me to think further.

I think cloned meat will be just as safe as the food supply now.

[WilliamJ]

At the present time, I cannot imagine how cloning would save money for farmers or consumers. Any farmer can learn to buy semen and AI cows. Semen can be really expensive, but as expensive as cloning? Doubt it.

Artificial insemination of farm animals is very common in today's agriculture industry, especially for breeding dairy cattle (75% of all inseminations) and swine (up to 85% of all inseminations). It provides an economical means for a livestock grower to breed their herds with males having very desirable traits.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_insemination

If you can clone your prized and prize winning bull you can actually save money.

The perfect breeding Bull might well cost more than cloning and you would not know for sure what you are getting.

[MW]

I think that man is playing around with nature too much - it's going to end up having a bad result in the end.

[WilliamJ]

Okay I think I have formulated my opinion on this one. Thanks for all the great information provided and for pushing me to think further.

I think cloned meat will be just as safe as the food supply now.

So you are capable of thought and analysis, there is hope for you yet.

[TrueBlue]

If you can clone your prized and prize winning bull you can actually save money.

The perfect breeding Bull might well cost more than cloning and you would not know for sure what you are getting.

People don't buy the whole bull. Just the part they need for AI. :rofl