I have been bumping into cows all week, either in photos or the many articles flying around regarding the safety of food from cloned animals. I have always had an interest in the science of cloning but didn’t pay much attention to it because it didn’t affect my reality. Well that may not be the case for very long. This week the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of meat and milk from cloned livestock, stating it was safe for human consumption. A similar decision was made by The European Union several days before. In addition, various food products made from cloned animals does not require product labeling. I must admit that it made the hairs on the back of my neck rise just a little. I thought it was time I looked at the issue more carefully.
First off, what is a clone any way? An animal clone is a genetic copy of a donor animal, similar to identical twins but born at different times. Cloning is not the same as genetic engineering, which involves altering, adding or deleting DNA; cloning does not change the gene sequence. Cloned animals are expensive/pricey and are replicas of some of the finest farm animals ever born. They will be used primarily as breeding stock to create what many say will be a new generation of superior farm animals. Almost all of the food that comes from the cloning process is expected to be from sexually-reproduced offspring and descendents of clones, and not the clones themselves.
The FDA reviewed hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and other studies on the health and food composition of clones and their offspring. According to Stephen F. Sundlof, D.V.M., Ph.D., director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, the FDA “determined that meat and milk from clones and their offspring are as safe as food we eat every day,” and that “cloning poses no unique risks to animal health when compared to other assisted reproductive technologies currently in use in U.S. agriculture.”
In assessing the wholesomeness of food, FDA scientist used the same standards used by farmers. If an animal appears healthy, then they presume that food from that animal is safe to eat. The FDA also looked at nutrient levels in meat and milk from a few dozen cattle and pig clones and hundreds of their progeny, and compared them with values from conventional animals and found it to be indistinguishable. Consumer groups have been concerned about whether offspring of cloned animals suffered increased stress because it has been found that stressed animals produce pathogens. I am not clear that this issue was addressed in the FDA report.
Several opinion polls show the majority of Americans do not want milk or meat from cloned animals in their food. They are uncomfortable with animal cloning and want to see cloned meat and dairy products labeled. A Gallup Poll found that 60% of Americans believed that it is immoral to clone animals and won’t buy milk from cloned animals. In reality, it will be years before foods from clones or their off-springs find their way to store shelves in significant quantities, mainly because the clones themselves are too valuable to slaughter or milk.
So at the end of the day do I feel comfortable gulping down a glass of cloned milk? Well not exactly, I would like to see longer term studies as well as strict regulations on the breeding and care of clone animals and their off-spring. Like it or not cloning is increasingly becoming a reality in the US and elsewhere so as consumers, educators, and health care professionals we have to become educated about the issues so we can make informed decisions about what we put into our bodies. And food products from cloned products should be labeled.
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/CloningPR01_15_08.cfm
http://www.courant.com/news/nationworld/hc-clones0115.artjan15,0,5365024.story
Yours in Good Health
