Should cloned food be labeled so that the consumer is aware of what he/she is purchasing/eating?

Question

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/12/28/cloned.food.ap/index.htm

The Food and Drug Administration recently released statements that they would not require companies selling cloned animals for food in supermarkets to label the food as such. Basically, in the upcoming MONTHS, cloned beef, pork and other animals will be sold in our grocery stores and we do not even have the right to know it. Do you think this is fair?

Answer 1

You know, eating the same steak over and over just seems wrong on so many levels. If markets are going to start selling cloned food, I'm going to start paying more for the natural food stores. Perhaps this is a rhetorical question, but if we can do this, why are people STILL starving in this world?

Answer 2

First of all, you have to understand what the FDA does and does not do. The FDA's job is to ensure that all food sold to the public is 1) safe and 2) effective. While "effective" is a more phoofy adjective regarding food (versus drugs), "safety" considers all the means of production from farm to fork. It is NOT FDA's job to consider ethical means of producing food. That is the job of other agencies, such as EPA (for pesticides) and FCC (for food advertisements, possibly including food labeling).

The FDA cannot require labeling of certain foods beyond nutritional facts unless the foods pose definite health risks associated with them, such as having trans fats. As for 'potential' risk factors, the FDA cannot require labeling because ALL FOODS HAVE RISK FACTORS. (It would strain the economy if we had to label all our fresh produce, even though we're close to it anyway). To require labeling of food products from cloned animals would give the impression that the foods have associated health effects, both positive and negative. The FDA's job is not to scare the public, but to inform. A reasonable compromise would be to require labeling with a small non-threatening symbol similar to the copyright symbol. Over time, consumers (except for the people who care) often don't read these labels allowing cloned foods to economically prosper.

If you have problems regarding food products from cloned animals, don't complain to the FDA. Go to the food manufacturer.

Answer 3

i think people have a right to know but if the FDA approved it to be sold then there shouldn't be anything wrong with eating it (i hope) if they started cloning meats i would hope that would drop the prices instead of raising them so that there are some benefits of purchasing the cloned meat!

Answer 4

I'll eat it whether it is cloned or regular, but I would appreciate the label so I know what it is.