Attack of the Cloned Food
Katherine Mangu-Ward | April 10, 2007, 4:09pm
The FDA recently extended the comment period for the public to expresses its views on the introduction of milk and meat from cloned animals into the food supply.
A bunch of food trade groups sent a letter to the FDA during the initial comment period asserting that it is "in the public interest of the agency to take the time needed to 'get it right'." And The Center for Food Safety (check out their poster at right) wants you to send a letter demanding that, among other things, food products from cloned animals pass "independent and transparent long-term testing (with the burden of proof of safety on the clone developer)."
This is the precautionary principle at work: The idea that "if an action or policy might cause severe or irreversible harm to the public, in the absence of a scientific consensus that harm would not ensue, the burden of proof falls on those who would advocate taking the action."
But as reasonable as the precautionary principle seems at first, it practice its terms are nearly impossible to satisfy. First, it asks the companies to prove a negative--that nothing bad can happen because of cloned meat and milk. Further, it demands scientific consensus that the products of genetically identical animals are indistinguishable from what's already on the market. Which they are, by definition. But as last week's excellent article by Ron Bailey pointed out, "scientific consensus" is a notoriously slippery concept.
"Based on FDA's analysis of hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and other studies on the health and food composition of clones and their offspring, the draft risk assessment has determined that meat and milk from clones and their offspring are as safe as food we eat every day," says Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. There's a reason for this--it's the same food.
At least there's this, in response to many of the 4,000 comments posted on the FDA's site raising moral concerns about cloning: "The [FDA] has said that it will limit its judgment to the science of cloning because it does not have the legal authority to address the ethics or morality of the debate."
One comment on the FDA site, from a Ms. Johnne Fischer, who obviously opposes the approval of cloned foods at the moment, says: "I refuse to buy meat and dairy products that do not tell me the origin." For Ms. Fischer and those like her, there's a simple solution that doesn't involve a ban. Some producers are bound to take the trouble to ensure that their supply chain is clone-free and boast of that fact on their labels.
More from Ron Bailey on the precautionary principle here.
Dave W. | April 10, 2007, 5:54pm | #
And let me decide for myself.
Here is my impression of RCD after they require labelling of cloned products:
RCD walks into store and heads to dairy case. He thinks to himself, "I could go for a delicious drink of milk." He looks at the milks. Brand X milk says "CLONED" in big red letters on the side of the jug. Further inspection by RCD reveals a price tag marked $2.59. RCD carefully replaces the jug in his grocer's refrigeration unit.
RCD then picks out a jug of Brand Y milk. Turning the jug over in his hands, he notes a product label that says: "No cloned animals were used in making this product. Make no mistake, we shoot our animals up, but good, with antibiotics, but no clones. Not us. Clones are for suckers." RCD scowls at this. Thru eyes partially shut, in disgust, he notices that the price tag says $4.59. To the extent that he had at all been considering Brand Y, he drops that thought and re-takes the jug of Brand X.
"I wonder what cloned milk tastes like," thinks RCD as he heads for the cash register, one hand clutching the hollow plastic handle of the Brand X milk, the other reaching for his wallet in his back pocket. In the checkout line, a gorgeous woman queues behind him. It is difficult not to notice her because she is so young, and firm, and her clothes so revealing of skin, and shape. RCD has to consciously looking at the woman's chest and ends up looking at the Brand X milk intently. He briefly notes that this is a very mamarian moment, or perhaps moo-ment, and chuckles inwardly.
because there is an old person in line ahead of RCD and the woman, things are taking forever. isn't that always the way when all you want is a nice cold mouthful of milk on a hot summer day. Fortunately, the market has the AC going full blast. One nice thing about shopping near SMU -- they think of the customers there. RCD sneaks some sidelong glances at the woman behind him. He notices that she seems to be looking at him. But, why?
When his turn comes, RCD pays for the milk with a very impressive looking credit card. They paid a lot of money to some designer to ensure that that credit card looked in such a way that you know not just anyone could get one. RCD did not notice the woman behind him looking at the credit card. he was busy making sure they did not add sales tax on the Brand X milk. They try to pull that sometimes.
Outside RCD ducked into the parking area and pulled the frangible band from around the rim of the lid on his Brand X milk. Deftly he unscrewed the cap, and hungrily he raised the gallon sized jug to his lips. the milk was nice and cold, like a hockey rink in his throat. he took a second long drink, standing in the sun, wiped his lips, replaced the cap on the Brand X milk and put it back into the plastic bag. the bag made it easier to carry the milk out to his car, and also helped prevent condensation from wetting the inside of his car too much. It was a good bag. Useful.
Just as he was opening his car door, he felt a tap on his back. His mind instantly turned to the gun in his glovebox, but then he remembered that he was near SMU. he turned and saw the yound lady from the store. breaking into a grin, he asked, "Can I help you, m'am?"
The young lady explained that she had noticed his Brand X milk, with the big "CLONED" label, in the store. In fact, she had even seen him resheathing the partially drunk milk in the lot. As it turned out, this lady had never seen anybody drink cloned milk and thought that that was exceptionally brave and masculine. Like the war. All this bravery made the young lady want to do coitus. With RCD. Long story short: he ended up obliging her and it was wonderful. Probably the best sex of his life.
After he dropped the lady off at her condo building in Oak Lawn, he pulled the bag of Brand X milk up by its bag handle from the floorboards of the backseat of his car. he realized that milk had been sitting in his hot car so long that it was certainly spoiled. Somehow, that did not bother him. He resolved to always get delicious Brand X cloned milk in the future, and to assiduously avoid the more expensive and inferior non-cloned Brand Y.
At this point he realized that he had to get home, with all due haste. He had to get on the Internet. He had to thank that guy, Dave W., at Hit and Run. Why, if it was not for people like him, then cloned milk might not be labelled so prominently, and picking out his preferred variety of milk would not be so easy. Oh, and that lady wouldn't have noticed his bravery and responded. "Thank you, Dave W.," he thought, reaching down and upshifting, "your crazy brand of libertaranism turns out to be best of all!"
THE END?
