Back in the news: Cloning
Sep 21, 2008 farming, general food, groceries
With cloned animals once again becoming a hot topic in the news, the FDA and food researchers continue to race towards the finding of a way to introduce them into our food supply. Those in opposition to this occurring are up in arms over one particular point:
Manufacturers will be required to label food as coming from a genetically engineered animal only if the end product is different from its non-engineered counterpart.
[via Refresh]
Which raises the question: Will people care even when they are labeled?
I think the FDA could stop the protests of people that want all cloned foods to be labeled as such and overcome it with a marketing campaign that convinces everyone it’s just dandy. One need only look at other products, like cigarettes and alcohol, to see that regardless of what you might slap on a label, if they like the product, people will continue to consume regardless.
Americans are generally proud of their cheap food, and if they can get those Big Mac prices even lower, or keep them the same as prices soar, as long as it tastes as they expected it to, they will continue to buy.
What do you think?
Tags: cloning
Attack of the Clones
Jan 16, 2008 farming, sustainable agriculture
With an obvious but unavoidable subject line we found out yesterday the USDA has deemed cloned meat A-OK.
Whether you are for or against it the debate is sure to become heated, and although you won’t have to worry about eating it personally for several years, I considered writing a lengthy post explicitly stating my stance.
I have, however, found a more direct approach by offering you a quote from Bruce Knight, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs with the USDA.
But first how about a snippet from his USDA bio?
A third-generation rancher and farmer and lifelong conservationist, Mr. Knight grew up on a small farm near the Gann Valley, S.D., where he owns a diversified grain and cattle operation using no-till and rest rotation grazing systems. His ranching background gave him the opportunity to practice stewardship and husbandry and provided firsthand knowledge of the interdependency of animal, plant and human health.
And the quote:
“Many farmers and ranchers are already using other assisted reproductive technologies, such as artificial insemination, embryo transplant, and in-vitro fertilization to produce superior animals…Cloning is another breeding technology that has evolved and has now been demonstrated to be safe.”
So the question, Mr. Knight, is with all that “husbandry and…firsthand knowledge of the interdependency of animal, plant and human health,” how much technology does sex really need?
From the mountains of Panama and Ethiopia, to the urban-jungles of Portland and Chicago, journalist Michaele Weissman takes us behind the scenes for a look at the world of third-wave specialty coffee. How did we get to Starbucks, and where we go from here?