Food and milk from cloned animals

The American FDA has announced yesterday its decision to permit meat and milk from cloned animals to be used in food (http://www.fda.gov/b...6/NEW01541.html).
The consumers federation strongly opposes to this (http://www.consumerfed.org/pdfs/dec28pressrelease.pdf)
Do you think it is immoral? Is the food produced really safe for human consumption?
I suppose this can open the way for human cloning as well?

The American FDA has announced yesterday its decision to permit meat and milk from cloned animals to be used in food (http://www.fda.gov/b...6/NEW01541.html).
The consumers federation strongly opposes to this (http://www.consumerfed.org/pdfs/dec28pressrelease.pdf)
Do you think it is immoral? Is the food produced really safe for human consumption?
I suppose this can open the way for human cloning as well?

It should be safe, but scientists playing god, I don't know...

Maybe another poll is in order Kelly.

A poll is a good idea, Simon, thank you. I'll be back with it ...next year.
Regards
Kelly B.

A poll is a good idea, Simon, thank you. I'll be back with it ...next year.

Hi Kelly,

A Happy New Year to You!

A poll is certainly a great idea. While considering the potential impact of all these on public health, is this new found method of producing meat and milk really necessary.

While, I sympathise with the world consumers of Kosher and HALAL as such food source would certainly become a lot more disturbing for them than for us.....albeit a lot more safer if we all stick to traditional processed foods.

Sadly, I believe the agenda is more politically inclined than saving the world from global food shortages. What a world we live in today!

What really is the core of the issue I believe would be to for the forum to discuss the safe quality aspects of such food. I am sure we would all become wiser after such an exercise.

Regards
Charles Chew

Dear Charles Chew,
Thank you for commenting to this topic. I appreciate it, especially from a Senior Member. I am trying to prepare a new poll but I find it really difficult to come up with what I should ask. I shall need some time. Sure thing is it is not meant to save the world from hunger. The problem with hunger is not the quantity of food available but the way it is distributed. So I guess you are correct, the agenda is politically inclined and I suppose that funds involved must be enormous.
The greatest problem is that (like with GMOs) nobody can tell the effects of such experiments. Only time will tell but we won't be here to see.
God help our grandchildren and humanity, sometimes I wonder why he made us so superficial. Scientists playing God, Simon was right...
Anyway, I shall be back soon with the poll.
Regards,
KellyB.

Dear Kelly,

I made an effort to follow the US ref but eventually reached a "page cannot be found" in one direction and a fearsome looking docket index system from where I gave up so that study of the risk analysis appears not so easy - maybe someone else can get to it ??

Regarding the moral aspect, this is of course a highly emotive issue which heavily overlaps the subject of ethics. I’m not competent to present details however If you are interested in one direct viewpoint on the current issue, can try –

http://www.csmonitor...01s01-ussc.html

Also, if you want to see the degree of complexity which can be generated from the meaning of “ moral / ethical” decisions particularly in relation to cloned animals, have a look at this ( a discussion / overview is on pg 47 et seq ) –

http://pewagbiotech....proceedings.pdf

Rgds / Charles.C

Thank you for the link, Charles. I saved it in my disc and will take a good look earlier.
Rgds/ Kelly B.

Also, if you want to see the degree of complexity which can be generated from the meaning of “ moral / ethical” decisions particularly in relation to cloned animals, have a look at this ( a discussion / overview is on pg 47 et seq ) – http://pewagbiotech....proceedings.pdf

Hello Charles C,

Although, I have not quite finished reading the overview on this cloning topic, I must admit that you have given the forum a great link to better understand this madness which I sincerely hope the world would reject. I know becos it has already frigthened the wits our of me..........and I am only half way through

Once again, a great link

Warmest regards
Charles Chew

I know becos it has already frigthened the wits our of me..........and I am only half way through

Same here.

Will the day come when you buy a beefburger which not only will it be prepared from the same recipe worldwide but it will be also made from the same cow!

My gut feeling says that this cannot be healthy and I'm sure it will take scientists a while to detmine the safety aspects of cloned animals.

I don't believe that this is about preventing hunger, as you say Kelly, it all has to be distributed correctly*, it must be about money. If it was about hunger then we wouldn't even consider animals at all as they are so inefficient in producing "energy".

* I was told that last year was the first recorded year where the World didn't produce enough food to feed everybody!

Dear Yorkshire,
Check this out : Greece (my country) has abt 10.000.000 habitants. Only in 2005 we sent to the garbage around 28,000 tons of foodstuff not because it was not good enough, but just because it was not consumed and expired (and that is just an unofficial recording because it is very difficult to find such data). And imagine that we also send food 3 to 4 months before expiration to several organizations who feed the poor (many companies have this policy)
No further comment
Rgds/Kelly B.

Dear Kelly,

If I understand correctly (saw it in a news report some time ago), Australia found a small compromise to yr comment in that they have an authorised set-up to sell food which has exceeded its expiry date. I did wonder how they control this if it was true.

Rgds / Charles.C

We seem to be moving off the original topic but it is of real interest to us all. In the UK a charity has been set up to redistribute surplus food to those in need, see FareShare.

We seem to be moving off the original topic but it is of real interest to us all. In the UK a charity has been set up to redistribute surplus food to those in need, see FareShare.

You sure its not Farepak Yorky

Dear Yorkshire,

OT but certainly interesting.

This is reminiscent of another recent charity food thread. I didn't read this one in depth but the same question as before springs to mind again - Necessary Why ??

And similarly I noticed this bit for volunteers.

* No experience is required as all volunteers are given training in food hygiene

I really struggled with a similar issue in the earlier thread, I would like to believe that everything is being handled for perfect food safety but I find the possibilities somewhat scary in the lack of further information.

Rgds / Charles.C

Dear Charles.C,
We surely don't live in a dream world so the dream of "everything being handled for perfect food safety" is just a dream. The possibilities are not just "somewhat" scary - let me just provide some "further information" as I saw it in the news breakdown a few minutes ago : Everyday we send to the garbage refusals tons of foodstuff we don't consume (mainly because it expired or because it was found unsuitable for human consumption) and the "competent" authorities are there to secure that the road roller is there to smash everything before it is barried. In fact there are some people who have enough time to steel some of this foodstuff and to sell it in their own markets (people like gypsies for instance).
And to return to the original subject, further news report that scientists have finally made it to produce genetically modified cows that will never be suffering from BSE. 12 cows indeed were produced in 2004 and now scientist announce their results. The source is magazine Nature Biotechnology and the Associated Press, I read the news in a Greek site with scientific and other news.
They say that these animals are not intended for breeding and for human consumption "for the moment". We'll see I guess!
Rgds/Kelly B.

Dear Kelly,

I agree, poll questions are not so easy. Although Qu2 is partly linked to another thread, I wud like to offer some thoughts (I avoided the ethical aspect, there were just too many variables in my head) –

Are you satisfied by authorities’ statements that cloned meat is safe to eat ? – Y, N, U
Do you think cloned meat should be labeled ? – Y, N, U
Would you knowingly eat cloned meat? Y , N, U

They’re only thoughts, no obligation involved.

Rgds / Charles.C

Dear Charles C.,
I'm glad I gave "food for thought" to some people. This kind of "food" is safe enough I suppose. You just read my mind, I shall soon post the poll.
Rgds/KellyB.