The Associated Press reports that the meat from the offspring of a cow cloned in the United States apparently entered the UK food chain when it was sold and, presumably, eaten. The meat from the second offspring of a cloned cow was slaughtered and prepared for the food chain last month, but was stopped by UK officials.
In addition, the AP writes, “A third cow — also an offspring of the same cloned U.S. cow — is believed to be part of a dairy herd. The agency said it was still investigating whether milk from the cow, known as Dundee Paradise, was sold.”
And, the AP reports, “A New York Times report last week quoted an unidentified British dairy farmer as saying he was using milk from a cow bred from a clone as part of his daily production, triggering a media frenzy and the FSA probe.
“British consumers are wary of tainted beef and dairy products because of a mad cow disease epidemic in the 1990s. The FSA was careful to stress this week that products from cloned animals and their offspring pose no known food safety concerns. But the agency said it is investigating the cloned milk and meat because the products did not get proper authorization.
“Farmers in Britain can legally buy embryos from cloned animals overseas, but they need to apply for authorization at a European level before they can sell food products from clones.”
In addition, the AP writes, “A third cow — also an offspring of the same cloned U.S. cow — is believed to be part of a dairy herd. The agency said it was still investigating whether milk from the cow, known as Dundee Paradise, was sold.”
And, the AP reports, “A New York Times report last week quoted an unidentified British dairy farmer as saying he was using milk from a cow bred from a clone as part of his daily production, triggering a media frenzy and the FSA probe.
“British consumers are wary of tainted beef and dairy products because of a mad cow disease epidemic in the 1990s. The FSA was careful to stress this week that products from cloned animals and their offspring pose no known food safety concerns. But the agency said it is investigating the cloned milk and meat because the products did not get proper authorization.
“Farmers in Britain can legally buy embryos from cloned animals overseas, but they need to apply for authorization at a European level before they can sell food products from clones.”
- KC's View:
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In the end, this is less about cloning than it is about transparency. Let me make the choice about whether I am willing to eat so-called cloned food. But just make sure that I actually have the choice...and that means providing consistent and informative labeling.
