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http://www.organicconsumers.org/rd/clones.htm TAKE ACTION: FDA APPROVES FOOD FROM CLONES Despite a September survey found that 64% of Americans are repulsed by the idea of eating food from cloned animals, the FDA announced [recently] that milk, eggs and meat from cloned animals will soon be allowed on the market. Ignoring a number of disturbing studies suggesting potential human health hazards, Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine said "that meat and milk from cattle, swine and goat clones is as safe to eat as the food we eat every day." Consumer, food safety, and animal welfare groups have condemned the announcement, pointing out that animal cloning is inherently unpredictable and hazardous, and that the practice of cloning has led to a high number of cruel and painful deformities in the experimental animals' offspring. Recognizing that requiring labels on cloned food would lead to a massive boycott by consumers, FDA bowed to industry lobbyists by stating that there likely will be no required labeling of food products containing ingredients from cloned animals. The FDA's controversial proposed regulations in the Federal Register will now be followed by a three month public comment period. The Organic Consumers' Association is calling on health and humane-minded consumers across the nation to stop this outrageous and hazardous regulation from coming into force as federal law. The FDA will be accepting comments until April 2007. Send a message to the FDA at http://www.organicconsumers.org/rd/clones.htm ---------- http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/ Approval of Cloned Food Leaves Consumers Unprotected By Wenonah Hauter Food & Water Watch, 12.28.06 Statement of Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch WASHINGTON, D.C. The Food and Drug Administrations decision to allow the sale of meat and milk from cloned animals is yet another example of the agencys willingness to disregard safety in the face of industry pressure. The safety of eating milk and meat from cloned animals is far from proven , with only a handful of studies and little long-term evidence. Concerns about the lack of data on eating food from cloned animals led the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 to state that the paucity of evidence in the literature on this topic makes it impossible to provide scientific evidence to support this position [that the food from cloned animals should be approved]. But apparently, this skimpy body of evidence is enough for FDA to allow these products onto consumers dinner tables. Aside from human health concerns, many people have ethical objections about cloning animals. A 2004 Gallup poll revealed that 64% of Americans believe that cloning animals for food is morally wrong. This strong opposition to the technology makes it even more important that cloned foods are labeled so concerned consumers can avoid them. Yet the FDA is not planning to require labeling of products from cloned animals. The low survival rate and high number of deformities in cloned animals also raise significant concerns about cruelty to animals. Studies of cloned animals show survival rates as low as five percent and in those that survive, health problems including organ malformation, digestive problems, and weakened immune systems. We are also concerned by FDAs apparent unwillingness to consider negative information about cloning. The Associated Press recently reported the story of Greg Wiles, a Maryland farmer who was the first to have a commercial clone on a dairy farm. Wiles has been trying to alert federal officials about a number of health problems experienced by his animals, while complying with the FDAs voluntary moratorium on placing milk and meat from cloned animals into the food supply. He has attempted over the last several years to bring this matter to the attention of federal regulators, only to be rebuffed in his attempts to have his cloned animals fully evaluated and used in research. Numerous ethical and safety concerns about cloned food products were cited in a petition filed with FDA by a number of public interest groups in October. The petition called on the agency to enact a moratorium on foods produced from cloned animals and establish rules for reviewing food safety and environmental impacts before these products are sold to consumers. The petition also called for the establishment of a committee to advise FDA on the ethical issues involved. Rather than allowing cloned products to be sold to consumers, the agency should take the actions requested in the petition. It is too soon for this controversial technology to be unleashed in the marketplace. If meat and milk from cloned animals do reach the marketplace, Congress should instruct FDA to require labeling so consumers have the information they need if they wish to avoid eating this poorly understood new technology. _____________________________ Note: This message comes from the peace-justice-news e-mail mailing list of articles and commentaries about peace and social justice issues, activism, etc. If you do not regularly receive mailings from this list or have received this message as a forward from someone else and would like to be added to the list, send a blank e-mail with the subject "subscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or you can visit: http://lists.enabled.com/mailman/listinfo/peace-justice-news Go to that same web address to view the list's archives or to unsubscribe. 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