FDA Approval on cloned animals for human consumption?

According to one FDA official, although others disagree, cloned animals are more likely to have birth defects and health problems when they are young, but after 50 days these animals are as healthy as non-cloned animals. In fact, studies of cloned animals detail very low survival rates; the success rate of live, healthy animals through the cloning process is less than 5%. Many cloned embryos die in the uterus or shortly after birth.

“I believe a normal clone has yet to be made,” stated Rudolf Jaenisch, professor of biology at the Massachusetts of Technology. “You can’t tell me that 95 percent die before birth and the other 5 percent are normal.”

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released a report in 2002 on the safety of cloned animals, which noted that they often experience complicated births and harm the surrogate animals. The report also noted that some clones have health problems like heart and lung disease, and other developmental problems, while some cloned mice have behavioral abnormalities.

Cloned sheep, cows, and mice have been born with malformed brains, livers, spleens, lymph nodes and urogenital tracts. Internal hemorrhaging, digestive problems, hydrocephalus, and multiple organ failure are some of the most common causes of death among cloned animals in the first week of life. A 2005 USDA study revealed that cloned pigs had weakened immune systems compared to normal pigs.

“I’ve looked at the immune response of hundreds of young pigs and I’ve never seen anything that low until I looked at a clone,” remarked Jeff Carroll, leader of the study.

No, this won't change what I buy at the grocery store. Cows and bulls are already enhanced in fashion or another. Steroids, antibiotics and super induced feed. So why not choose the best of the beef and repeat it? They already artificially ensinmulate cows with bull sperm. Now they will just be artificially en simulating her clone. Honestly, cloning is the wave of the future.

Pretty soon they will be cloning your dead dog, Fred and your corn on the cob. Get use to the idea. This is only a beginning not stopping point for protest.

Take Care

No, why would it. It actually sounds like a great idea. They will take the best livestock from the group and use it to make a clone. This clone will be used to breed other perfect animals. In short, we will have bigger cows to produce more meat or milk, bigger chickens to produce more meat or more eggs, and so on and so on. It is a way to control the food supply by keeping only the best producing animals around. The positives far out weigh the negatives.

In my opinion cloning is wrong. It is not up to us to play God by creating a living creature this way.

It's scary to think of what we are becoming, a world obsessed with perfection and greed.

I would not eat cloned food, it's just not right.

Ginger, amen. I'm going full veg on Monday.

I'm more worried about genetically modified foods rather than cloned animals. Why should I worry if they choose a specific DNA sequence and copy it millions of times over for a food source? I'm not familiar with the cloning tech, nor the reasons behind the absolutely horrific results(5% survival rate sucks hard), so I dunno what else they're doing besides essentially photocopying a specific variant of a genetic sequence.. :\

escapingmars: It's called "insemination". You scare me.

I don't understand the advantages to clones being used as food, but no, it will no make a difference to me. Maybe they plan to use clones of the best animals.

eh... I probably wouldn't want to be first in line for places serving the food... but overall, I'm not worried as long as the people trying it aren't falling over dead/sick

side note joke: conversation overheard at a fast food joint in few years... "this hamburger tastes exactly like the one I had last week...wierd?"

I hope they do make them label it, as I dont want to eat a clone, but it wont change my love for meat.

This will not change my diet in any way. I became a vegetarian 10 years ago and I know now I really made the right decision, people shouldn't be messing with science,it could have horrible results.

Nah, after all they are the same animal. Think about it! You can now have Filet Mignon every night. Luxury food is going to be a ton cheaper because now it isn't so rare.