FDA approves cloned animals for human food

William Atkins
Thursday, 17 January 2008 08:10

Science - Health

Many advocates and opponents of cloning for the purpose of food have agreed that the food eaten from the descendants of cloned animals was “unlikely to be dangerous.”

And, cloned animals will most likely never be eaten as food because they are too expensive—upwards of $20,000 per head as compared to about $1,000 for an ordinary steer. Instead of being eaten so they will be used to propagate (breed) other animals. The animals eventually eaten will be the offspring generations of those cloned animals.

These offspring will provide in many cases more desirable foods for humans. Traits such smaller amounts of cholesterol in cows would be one benefit of cloning cattle, as would be beef that is more tender to the taste and larger amounts of milk from each diary cow.

However, opposition to cloning is still apparent especially on moral grounds in the religious community and on health grounds for those not supporting the findings of the FDA.

Andrew Kimbrell, the director of the Center for Food Safety, stated, “The FDA’s bullheaded action today disregards the will of the public and the Sanate—and opens a literal Pandora’s Box.” He went on to say, “FDA based their decision on an incomplete and flawed review that relies on studies supplied by cloning companies that want to force cloning technology on American consumers.” [AFP]

Controversy will no doubt remain over the subject of cloning for the purpose of food for humans. Only time will tell if it is indeed safe and whether or not humans will come to accept the food produced from cloned animals.

Leaders of the cloning industry stated that it would be many years before meat and milk from cloned animals make their presence in stores in the United States.

Many other articles have been published on the topics of cloned animals, the FDA report, and related issues and discussions. Please write these article to better inform yourself on the subject of cloned animals and our food supply.

Some websites of particular interest are:

FDA: “A Risk-Based Approach to Evaluate Animal Clones and Their Progeny – DRAFT”.

Center for Food Safety: “Groups Tell FDA, Keep Cloned Animals Off Our Dinner Plates”.

News-Medical Net: “FDA says meat from cloned animals is safe but not everyone agrees”.