September 3, 2008
FDA: Offspring of Cloned Cattle May Be in Food Supply
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is on record stating that there is no difference between meat and milk from cloned animals and those of the originals. Even so, ranchers have followed a voluntary moratorium on the sale of clones and their offspring for food products.
The U.S. Agriculture Department, which is managing the process of moving clones and their offspring into the food supply, has asked that clones continue to be held out of the market until January. It did not make the same request of the offspring of clones. The result is that offspring of some of the 600 clones in the U.S. may already be in the food supply.
Siobhan DeLancey, a spokesperson with the FDA, told Reuters, “It is theoretically possible” that meat and milk from the offspring of cloned animals may have found its way into the consumer market.
Supporters of the cloning technology say that meat and milk from clones and their offspring is impossible to tell from other animals.
Bruce Knight, USDA’s undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, sought to put the issue into perspective. “They would be a very limited number because of the very few number of clones that are out there and relatively few of those clones are at an age where they would be parenting.”
Some groups expressed concern that the offspring of clones, regardless of the number, may be in the food supply.
Charles Margulis, a spokesperson with the Center for Environmental Health, told Reuters, “It worries me that this technology is out of control in so many ways.”
A number of leading meat packers, other food companies and retailers have pledged to avoid using milk or meat from cloned animals. Among those are California Pizza Kitchen, Campbell Soup, General Mills, Kraft Foods, Nestle, Smithfield Foods, Supervalu and Tyson Foods.
Susan Davidson, director of corporate affairs at Kraft Foods, said safety was “not the only factor” the company considers when deciding whether to use a commodity.
“We must also carefully consider additional factors such as consumer benefits and acceptance … and research in the U.S. indicates that consumers are currently not receptive to ingredients from cloned animals,” she said.
Discussion Questions: What impact will news that offspring from cloned animals may be in the food supply have on consumer confidence? What does this mean in practical terms for food manufacturers, retailers and restaurants?
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Please bear in mind that I’m trying to be cool, calm and collected about this. I am trying not to be one of the hysterical and uninformed media referred to above (but I’d love to hear from anyone privately with enough FACTS to claim that he or she is informed). I am also trying not to be one of the angry lefties referred to last night. Why must people resort to name calling rather than providing convincing evidence for their viewpoints?
My view on cloning is that (a) no one really knows what will happen in the long term (as they didn’t with pesticides, for example); (b) I do not know why they are supposed to be beneficial; (c) if they are so good, why can’t we have labels and make our own decisions?
I’m in the US at the moment and do not feel that I have any control over what I eat. Some fasting would probably not do me any great harm although two months of it may be excessive. I do not eat packaged, processed foods but even fresh produce has generally been washed or treated with chemicals or grown with goodness knows what and may be from genetically modified seeds. I do not trust either the FDA or the USDA. Most of all, I strongly feel that there are PRINCIPLES involved and our government is rejecting them whenever and wherever they feel like it. I resent being treated like this and, yes, I am very angry.
No one can say for certain that this is 100% safe because the study of the long term effects of food products derived from cloned animals is just now beginning and we are the study group.
This reminds me of a great episode of Madmen where the Lucky Strike execs were bemoaning the fact that they could no longer make medical claims about the benefits of cigarette smoking in their advertising. The media should ask questions. We all should.
The FDA has an awful record with regard to long term safety of products. While I suspect that there is no threat from generation upon generation of clone offspring, we simply and they simply, do not know.
My suggestion, though it would be heresy from food manufacturers and government a like, is to allow cloned offspring in the food supply and label the products that may have that meat; chicken or milk. Then we give a commercial opportunity to those manufactures who choose not to use cloned offspring to label their products as such. Let the consumers vote with their dollars. They do it now with non-GMO and organic products. Say, what ever happened to radiated meat?
With food prices rising, with meat departments become more spartan, and as food-supplier companies are announcing they are aren’t using certain animal products and by-products, any news of modifications in food chain components intensifies consumer concerns and their buying patterns. Clone-to-clone products may not be bad for increasingly weary consumers but the anxiety it may possibly cause is.
The largely uninformed and hysterical media will probably go nuts as usual, and PETA will be out in force, but most rational and informed consumers will yawn. Actually, cloned animals can provide a real opportunity to boost the world’s food supply.
I agree that all of this is out of control and that the issues cited (and many, many more personal and environmental reasons) are why I have had no issues finally going vegan after years of half-hearted attempts. Not for everyone but “clicking” for many.
Most reasonable minded level headed consumers will be fine with these products as long as the industry and the FDA can substantiate that these products are healthier for humans than what was purchased and consumed in the past.
Is this not a similar case to GM food where there was a public outcry, yet the food hit the market and then the furor died down? The interesting point is that no one can tell and then from this, is the regulation good enough to stop the products entering the supply chain given that the situation is already out of control?
My questions are what are the factual risks, health issues and dangers? What testing has been either done or not done on either side to make the opposing stances?
If cloned meat and milk is one cent cheaper, sales will be excellent. Nothing requires 100% acceptance to be successful. Everyone in the grocery business knows the tremendous power of pricing. It’s not everything, but it’s huge. Whole Foods is a tiny slice of American grocery shopping. The majority slice is price driven, as long as the taste is OK.
What’s really critical to food safety: prevent cloning of FDA officials.