Health & Wellness

Cloned Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner?

We hit the streets to get the scoop on what Philly thinks about the possibility of eating Molly the cow for dinner … more than once

By Elena Chin

Without labeling, consumers won't be able to tell the difference between regular beef and that which came from a cloned cow. Photo, Elena Chin
Now here’s some food for thought: On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration declared cloned animals to be safe for human consumption. The FDA spent six years tracking the safety of cloning, and its final decision came after much opposition.

Many meat-eaters are still wary about eating food from a cloned source. FDA officials say there are no differences between animals and their clones, therefore the food from the clones would not need special labeling. So far, the FDA has received approximately 30,500 comments from the public, half of which have dealt with the labeling on these products. [CNN]

Here's what some Philadelphians think about the issue of cloned cows:

“I have reservations about it since I was raised on a farm in Virginia,” says West Philadelphia resident Thelma Dillard, 77. “I try to eat food from farmers markets when I can.”

Others were not so adamant against it. “I can see both sides of it,” says South Philly resident Zach Mayer, 31. “But as long as cloning is done safely, it could be beneficial.”

UPenn student Mira Fawcett, 21, says she is not opposed to the idea, but that there would need to be additional testing before it hit supermarket shelves.

“I feel like it’s the next natural step with where we’re going with technology,” Fawcett says. “Though, I think they should test it for a long time and label it differently.”

We’re not so sure “natural,” is the best way to describe eating food products from cloned animals. What do you think of this controversial topic? Leave your comments below.
 
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User comments

Who needs Peter Luger?
Jan. 17, 2008 at 8:16 AM
Posted by Bill Dakota
When you can buy genetically-perfect meat at the supermarket. Fire up the grill.
Ummmm...
Jan. 17, 2008 at 9:23 AM
Posted by Anonymous
This is a little too X-Files for me **sees Mulder's shadow and runs**
It is weird
Jan. 17, 2008 at 8:49 PM
Posted by Anonymous
Not sure how I feel about it ... although I wish we could just clone the steak rather than the cow, if we're going to be cloning things.

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