More on FDA Approved Cloned Food

T-Bone Steak, Well-Cloned

It costs about $15,000 to clone a cow, compared to $2,000 for natural breeding. Meanwhile, recent polls show more than half of Americans say they wouldn't buy cloned meat even if they could.

In an International Food Information Council poll (.pdf) in 2006, 58 percent of Americans surveyed said they would be unlikely to buy meat or milk from animal clones even if the FDA deemed the products safe. And earlier this month, a Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology poll found that "animal cloning causes great discomfort among American consumers."

The FDA says meat and milk from clones should be subject to the same safety regulations as any other food product, but it sees no need for any special labeling -- a recommendation that's already stirring controversy.

"This is a lose-lose decision by the FDA," said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director at the Center for Food Safety. "People lose, the animals lose, the meat and dairy industry loses because they will lose confidence in their products."

Without special labeling for cloned food, the meat and dairy industry stands to lose up to 15 percent in sales, Kimbrell said,because some people will avoid all meat and dairy if there's a chance some of it could come from clones. "You know Europe and the organic market will refuse (cloned products)," Kimbrell said.

What's the point if it's not cost-effective? Maybe to continue to desensitize the public to the whole concept? I think that's what it's about. We're asking for trouble if we continue down this slippery slope. Scratch that. We're down it and about to hit rock bottom!

This is good information to pass along to others.