The technology is there to clone livestock and now the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is prepared to formally endorse the sale of meat and milk from these animals (and their offspring) for human consumption. The question is whether consumers will be buying when its time to make the sale.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the FDA may give the okay on clones as early as next week. The agency has asked producers not to sell food products from cloned livestock until it had thoroughly studied the safety issue.
There are expected to be protests launched by various consumers groups once the FDA ruling comes down but, ultimately, the producers of cloned animals are faced with winning over consumers and the food manufacturers and retailers who serve them.
Marguerite Copel, vice president of corporate communications at Dean Foods, said, "Most consumers do not find this (food from cloned animals) appealing" and said the company did not plan to sell milk from cloned cows.
The Food Marketing Institute told The Journal that its members expect to be informed by producers if they intend to use cloned animals.
Other food industry groups such as the American Meat Institute (AMI) are more bullish (sorry) about cloned animals, believing that consumers will come around to both appreciate products made from this livestock and seeking it out.
Ultimately, cloned animals will lead to better and healthier cuts of meat for consumers, according to James Hodges, president of AMI. "These animals are not some kind of freaks of nature," Mr. Hodges told The Journal.
Tyson Foods, one of the largest beef processors, said in a statement that it "currently has no plans to purchase cloned livestock, especially since it will likely be a long time before such animals" are available in the commercial market.
Discussion Questions: Will consumers get over their unease about food and milk from cloned animals like they have when other new food technologies have been introduced in the past? What position should you take if you are a food retailer?