Posts with tag breeding
Posted Dec 28th 2006 12:04PM by Nicole Weston
Filed under: Science, Farming, Business, America, Health & Medical
The Food and Drug Administration has concluded that "meat and milk from clones and their progeny is as safe to eat as corresponding products derived from animals produced using contemporary agricultural practices," meaning that not only is the meat likely to be approved for human consumption and sold at stores, but that there will be no label to distinguish it from natural meat. Consumer groups want to see a label on the meat because most (64%) people are uncomfortable with the idea of eating cloned food, but the FDA's decision is based on the fact that there is no food safety issue in question, and no need to "warn" people about what they're eating in this case. "The bottom line is, we don't want to misinform consumers with some sort of implied message of difference," said one researcher, although this does seem to be at odds with existence of labels that indicate the difference between organic/nonorganic produce and grass fed beef, where there is not necessarily a health risk or benefit in question.
The Consumer Federation of America said that they, along with other groups, will ask food companies and supermarkets not to carry food from clones. "Meat and milk from cloned animals have no benefit for consumers, and consumers don't want them in their foods."
Posted May 3rd 2006 11:05AM by Nick Vagnoni
Filed under: Science, Pork, Magazines, On the Blogs

On
the heels of a great
Harpers article about
the business of pig breeding
,
Wired recently ran a piece about the sequencing pig genomes.
Once the process is complete, breeders will be able to determine
which pigs will taste best prior to slaughter as well as which will
have the best yield and be less prone to disease. From there, these
qualities can be built upon and accentuated.
The gist of the Harpers piece (which I don"t think is available
on-line) is that there"s currently a movement among some of
America"s largest pork producers to move back to a less lean, more
complexly flavored type of pork. This move away from what the
author calls "the chickenifaction of the American pig" is done by
introducing stock from pigs (via pig sperm banks) that have not
been bred so intensely.
Both are definitely worth a read if you"re interested in the fine
tuning of livestock.
[Wired article via
The Food Section]
Posted Feb 25th 2006 4:07PM by Nicole Weston
Filed under: Restaurants, Farming, Business, Beef, Poultry, Pork, Trends, America
Menus already chock-full of details about the soil quality in the area the salad spinach was grown and the
precise variety of vanilla in the crème brule are soon going to have another detail: the sire of the steak.
Always looking to be on the cutting edge of dining trends, some chefs are getting involved in animal husbandry to
custom breed specific, and often rare, varieties of meat for their restaurants. They feel that this gives them an edge
over companies that contract with well-known high-end producers. Whether or not there is any truth to the belief that
things which are rarer are necessarily better or higher quality, chefs like David Burke are beginning to do things like buy bulls and find farmers to
raise what will be a future meal, according to an article (subscription required to read it online) in the Wall Street Journal.
Continue reading Unique meats as menus get more specific
Posted Jan 20th 2006 5:39PM by Nick Vagnoni
Filed under: Science, Farming, Pork

In an effort to breed better pork, the USDA will give $10 million to the University of Illinois to obtain a draft
sequence of swine genome. The goal of the project is to create DNA-based tools to identify and propagate pigs that are
more resistant to disease, breed larger litters and produce leaner meat. It's worth noting that heirloom pork has
gained popularity, in part, because it isn't lean. The USDA isn't just seeking leaner pigs, but bigger, meatier pigs in
general. The project would also try to identify the ideal climates for different breeds of pig, thereby allowing the
animals to grow to their fullest potential. Work is scheduled to end in late 2007--the Chinese year of the pig.