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."
On
the heels of a great
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
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.




