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Attack of the Clones
January 12, 2007

January 12, 2007
So, did you hear about this? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled in December that food from cloned animals is safe to eat and will not require special labeling.

According to an Associated Press report, some consumer groups insist labels are a must because people are uncomfortable with the idea of cloned livestock, but the FDA says cloned animals are “ virtually indistinguishable” from conventional livestock, removing the need for identification to judge their safety for the food supply.

To me, "virtually indistinguishable” means they are almost, but not quite, the same. This sounds awfully familiar. It suspiciously sounds like the FDA’s position on genetically modified foods.

According to the FDA Web site, genetically engineered plants are regulated by three government agencies: the FDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The FDA ensures that foods made from these plants are safe for humans and animals to eat, the USDA makes sure the plants are safe to grow and the EPA ensures that pesticides introduced into the plants are safe for human and animal consumption and for the environment.

Great, but what about labeling? Under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, Congress has provided the FDA a limited basis on what types of products require labeling. Generally, there must be something tangibly different about the food product—not the process by which it's made—for the FDA to require labeling. Here we go again: “tangibly different.” They may only know one tune, but at least they play it well.

Blogger Kate Hopkins, the Accidental Hedonist, wrote, “I really dislike the idea of the FDA stating that the cloned food doesn't need to be labeled as such. Rightly or wrongly, there is a sizable segment of the population that will have misgivings about cloned food, and they have the right to not eat the stuff. By avoiding labeling the product, the FDA has essentially said that ‘You're going to eat this food whether you like it or not.’”

What can we do? I’m glad you asked. There is a three-month period of public comment being accepted by the FDA. So what? So, comment! (Find out how here.) The FDA’s Web site says, “Anyone can submit comments concerning new rules and regulations being considered by the Food and Drug Administration. And these suggestions can, and do, influence the agency's actions.”

And the journey continues.

Cheers!
Stu

Posted by Stu Stein on January 12, 2007 | Comments (0)