The Dish > Copy That: The Cloned Food Debate
Copy That: The Cloned Food Debate
By Andy Steinke
After years of research, the United States Food and Drug Administration released its report on cloned food in January determining that it’s safe for humans to eat. According to the report, meat and milk from cow, pig and goat clones, and any of their offspring, are as safe to consume as food from naturally bred animals. The report makes the United States the first nation to approve cloned animal food for public consumption.
Since the FDA decided that food from cloned animals is the same as food from conventionally bred animals, it has not required cloned food to be labeled. Many governing bodies and food organizations, however, think cloned food should be labeled in case a recall on the products is needed. At least 13 bills calling for labeled cloned food have been introduced at the state level across the country. Sister bills requesting food labels have also been introduced in Washington D.C.—one in the House and one in the Senate—since the FDA published its report.
The Center for Food Safety, a non-profit advocacy organization, supports an amendment to the new Farm Bill that would stop cloned food from being introduced to the public until long-term testing can be done. In a report in response to the FDA’s announcement, the center claimed the FDA based its decision on only three studies, all of which were on milk from cloned cows.
A 2007 nationwide poll conducted by the non-profit organization Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, echoes the apparent need for labeling. According to the survey, 89 percent of Americans want cloned foods to be labeled and 69 percent have concerns about consuming food from cloned animals or their offspring.