Nutritional Articles
Cloned Foods: OK to Eat?
Back in December, F.D.A. regulators released a report that could pave the way for food from cloned animals to make their way to your dinner table. They concluded that there is no difference between food from cloned animals and food from conventional livestock, and eating meat and milk from clones poses no risk.
Should you be concerned? Opinion polls are generally negative on the subject.
Carol Tucker Foreman, director of food policy at the Consumer Federation of America, believes the F.D.A. is ignoring research that shows cloning results in more deaths and deformed animals than other reproductive technologies. As a result, the Consumer Federation will ask food companies and supermarkets to refuse to sell food from clones.
Scientists argue that animal cloning is simply the latest technological step to improve food production and give consumers what they want: high-quality, safe food, in abundance. Companies in favor of cloning also point out that the technology would mostly be used for breeding.
Others note, though, that while it may be safe to eat cloned meat and milk, that doesn’t mean we should or would benefit from it. Clearly, there are ethical questions to consider.
The public has until April 2 to voice its concerns, after which time the F.D.A. will review and assess the comments. A voluntary moratorium on selling these products, which has been in place for several years, still holds. Once the F.D.A. makes its final decision, it would still be months away before such products would be sold at your local grocery store. No decision has yet been made as to how food from cloned animals would be labeled for the consumer, and no labeling may be required.
- Modern Menus
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