I just read that the FDA has approved the use of food from cloned cows, pigs, and goats. Apparently products from clones have already made it into the marketplace. Now, I don’t know about you, but that makes me a bit nervous. As it is, I try my best to buy organic food- be it animal or vegetable- but even “organic” has come to have a completely different meaning than it used to, so I suppose that means there is no guarantee that my organic food will be cloned-animal free. Like the 8 inches of snow in Las Vegas on December 17th last year, it just isn’t right. It seems counternatural. (I just made that word up.)
We feel powerless when it comes to what we eat. We can never be quite sure that what we’re putting in our mouths is good for us, and corporations have much more power than we do when it comes to defining the terms of labeling. I remember reading a story some time ago about how corporations like Monsanto succeeded in eliminating the requirement to label foods containing GM in the US. I felt incredibly angry and powerless to do anything about it. Oh, sure, I could buy only organic, but as I said before, there is no guarantee. I could choose to never eat out in restaurants, but that is somewhat impractical. And Las Vegas is unsurprisingly devoid of farmers’ markets and fertile soil to grow my own food. There is also the issue of irradiated beef. Which wasn’t an issue for me for years, as I used to never eat anything but chicken and fish, but now I eat beef and lamb, so I have to think about this. What to do? How does one counter the feeling of powerlessness one gets from living like this? One thing this situation does is bring about a greater mindfulness about what we eat and where our food comes from. If I lived in California or Vermont, I’d be laughing, as there are plenty of good, reputable, small local farmers who are conscientious about their farming methods. But in Las Vegas, I am in a bit of a conundrum.
Holly
heathergfe
ainamontero
sitaradevi
Audrey Cain
Lauren Summerhill
Ninon Baccara
I think the lack of information that consumers are given regarding the products they purchase is loathsome. Like you, I want to avoid cloned meat. I have strong suspicions that the universe has a defense mechanism in place for such tampering, and that there will be serious effects in 20 odd years. I can’t believe this has been released to the market without studies to test for such possible long term ailments.
Like you, I feel powerless. For all the choice we are afforded, apparently “natural” isn’t one of them.
By: Lauren Summerhill on January 23, 2009
at 12:00 am
I just came back from a trip with a friend where I was introduced to another lady who lives a very healthy vegan lifestyle. While I love my dairy and cheese and other milk and egg product enhanced diet, it was pretty inspirational to peek into her fridge and to see the yummy fruits and vegetables that were stocked. I think that the cloning of animals is a very tricky issue and has pros and cons on both sides.
Sitara Devi
By: Sitara Devi on January 24, 2009
at 8:05 am
Yes, Lauren, it is extremely frustrating. And I also agree that nature will protect itself. When it’s had enough, the earth will sneeze and off we will hurtle into extinction.
Sitara, a vegan lifestyle will certainly protect against ingesting the unwanted clone meat and animal products, and that does sound appealing. But I think I would really miss chicken, cheese, and dairy.
Sadly, turning vegan won’t protect us from eating GM foods. Only knowing exactly where our food comes from will do that, and that’s pretty unpractical.
So I did more research, and the FDA approved it last January. Just this month, however, Japan has also introduced the frankenmeat into the market.
By: HB on January 26, 2009
at 1:21 am
[...] The news of a woman who gave birth to a litter of eight this week is disturbing. Cloned food disturbs my posting companions; human litters disturbs me. We are not made for [...]
By: Science Again « Allure of a Subculture on January 28, 2009
at 9:51 am
Though a vegan lifestyle would protect from from cloned food but not from genetically altered vegetables.
By: Lauren Summerhill on January 31, 2009
at 7:02 pm
Granted, I don’t know a whole lot about cloned food, but what I do know does not cause me concern. To simply take a genetically superior cow and replicate it’s DNA into a ‘blank’ fertilized egg…. I guess I don’t see how that would affect nutrition. Far more important to me would be how that cloned calf was raised; the extent to which hormones and antibiotics were used, feed lot overcrowding vs. free range pasture living, etc. The living conditions would contribute far more to the nutrition value than the DNA, to my way of thinking at least.
For me, cloning only becomes an issue when we’re talking about human beings. It’s that whole “soul” issue…. Well, that and the emotional disturbance it would cause me to see a “stranger” clone of a person I know. That would be a hard thing to set to rights in my own head.
Genetically altered vegetables? I know that farmers have been hybridizing plants for millenia to breed hardier specimens. Is genetically altering them a high tech way of doing the same thing?
By: edriennecole on February 10, 2009
at 8:20 am
Hi Edrienne! No- hybridization happens largely the same way nature does, except it is like an arranged marriage. In nature, bees, birds, rain, wind, etc. are all mechanisms by which the pollen from one plant impregnates (fertilizes) another of the same species to create baby plants (seeds that will grow into plants that have the genetic traits of both parents). Hybridization makes sure one plant with desirable traits gets cross-pollinated with another plant that has desirable traits.
Genetic modification is a completely unnatural and asexual way to insert desired genes into a plant to create a more desired plant. The genes don’t even have to come from the same species, and don’t even have to be natural genes. For instance, tomatoes have been modified by having salmon genes inserted into them to produce a desired result, and corn has had pesticide inserted into it genetically. Corn and soy have also had herbicide built into it. These things were released into the market before adequate testing could determine it was absolutely safe for human consmption, and in several cases, genetically engineered food not meant for human consumption accidentally got mixed up with human food crops.
The repercussions and unintended consequences of this tampering are still unknown. Under the last administration, much of the traditional regulation under the FDA was removed or lessened, and as a result, you have tons of frankenfood in the grocery store. (Have you seen the “grapple”? It is a genetically modified fruit that is a mix between a grape and an apple.)
As for eating clones, see this:
See these sites for more info:
True Food Now
The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Food
Center for Food Safety
Harvest of Fear
On Genetically Modified Foods
By: Holly on February 10, 2009
at 8:30 pm
All valid points. Institutions like the FDA, are meant to be our watchdogs, ensuring our health and safety are not compromised. It is a sad day indeed, when the watchdog forgets that simple fact. One wonders if a new breed of lobbyists have somehow made inroads into the FDA itself, whereas traditionally, they concerned themselves with the Senate etc. Why else would the FDA step out so boldly with such an ‘in your face’ decision?
Another aspect that concerns me is, how long will it be, before the innate curiosity of genetic scientists overcome current moral checks, and they begin to think: what if we tinker a bit here and a bit there, and we create a much larger cow with more and better meat, so we can feed more people?
And how long will it be, before genetic and reproductive scientists cast a more speculative eye on human DNA, and say to themselves, to hell with it, let’s do it? We will be in very real danger, when scientists begin to get a ‘God complex’ – a ‘we can do anything’ type of self-belief.
Dare I say it? Food for thought! Hey! I am only referring to the first part of my post – just the first part! So, please don’t burn my ears just yet!
By: armane123 on December 27, 2010
at 5:48 am