DR. Young, anyone? cloned meat on sale

[cmjhzs]

This question is directed to Dr. Wise Young and anyone who care to reply. (Directed to Dr. Young because there were a debate on cloning and I would like his opinion on this.)

Recently the FDA is examing a proposal on allowing businesses to sell cloned meat. My question is about the saftey of cloned meat. For one thing, even if you're a supporter of cloning itself would you or your family members eat cloned meat? Why or why not?

Supposed the proposal pass and now we have cloned meat. Should businesses have the right to blend/mix the cloned meat with regular meat? If so do, should they be allow the choice of either labling the meat as "cloned meat?"

~Ann

[Wise Young]

This question is directed to Dr. Wise Young and anyone who care to reply. (Directed to Dr. Young because there were a debate on cloning and I would like his opinion on this.)

Recently the FDA is examing a proposal on allowing businesses to sell cloned meat. My question is about the saftey of cloned meat. For one thing, even if you're a supporter of cloning itself would you or your family members eat cloned meat? Why or why not?

Supposed the proposal pass and now we have cloned meat. Should businesses have the right to blend/mix the cloned meat with regular meat? If so do, should they be allow the choice of either labling the meat as "cloned meat?"

~Ann

Ann,

It had never occurred to me that anybody would object to eating meat from a cloned animal. There should be nothing different about this meat. There shoudl be no genetic modification involved. The fact that this question would even arise suggests that there is significant misunderstanding of what cloning is all about.

Wise.

[Buck_Nastier]

Ann,

It had never occurred to me that anybody would object to eating meat from a cloned animal. There should be nothing different about this meat. There shoudl be no genetic modification involved. The fact that this question would even arise suggests that there is significant misunderstanding of what cloning is all about.

Wise.

I think people confuse it with genetically altered meat.

[cmjhzs]

Respectfully Dr. Young,

No one has yet to prove with extensive data that eating cloned meat and its products are 100% safe. Don't quote me on this, but didn't Dolly developed problems that scientists have yet to be able to explain? Hasn't it also only been ten years since we had successfully cloned her? I mean we are just barely learning about cloning. How certain are we that there are no side-effects? Personally, I would like to see a longevity study before I trust any businesses with my health.

Although you have a point about cloned meat and how it's supposed to be the same as regular meat; I do however, have to question whether there have been sufficient data to prove that.

~Ann

By the way thank you for replying. I know I learn much more from talking to different experts than from reading. Again thanks.

[Wise Young]

Respectfully Dr. Young,

No one has yet to prove with extensive data that eating cloned meat and its products are 100% safe. Don't quote me on this, but didn't Dolly developed problems that scientists have yet to be able to explain? Hasn't it also only been ten years since we had successfully cloned her? I mean we are just barely learning about cloning. How certain are we that there are no side-effects? Personally, I would like to see a longevity study before I trust any businesses with my health.

Although you have a point about cloned meat and how it's supposed to be the same as regular meat; I do however, have to question whether there have been sufficient data to prove that.

~Ann

By the way thank you for replying. I know I learn much more from talking to different experts than from reading. Again thanks.

Ann,

I don't think any meat has been shown to be 100% safe. After all, most animals have been exposed to a variety of bacterial and viral infections and many have received growth hormones, antibiotics, and other drugs that are much more likely to affect human health than any abnormal genes in a cloned animal might have.

There are many things that farmers do to animals that is not good for the health of the animals but makes their meat more desirable. For example, having a fatty liver is not good for the goose but makes for good pate (which by the way may not be that healthy to eat).

Strictly speaking, cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer should not involve genetic modification in the sense that a gene that is not normally present has been inserted or a gene is being overexpressed or underexpressed. If genetic modification has been carried out, then the safety and consequence of the genetic modification must be evaluated.

I am trying hard to imagine any scenario in which somatic cell nuclear transfer produced animals may cause some kind of health risk. The only possibility that I can think of is the possibility of the animal may have abnormal accumulation of a toxic product, such as abnormal prions. To my knowledge, this has not been seen in cloned animals and should be readily detectable.

Wise.