Gillian Madill
Genetic Technologies Campaigner
1717 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 600
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 783-7400 • [email protected]
Cloned Food: What it Means to Eat Meat and Dairy from Cloned Animals
The FDA has lifted a voluntary ban on allowing cloned animal products from entering the human food
supply. Based upon flawed studies, the FDA has claimed that eating meat and dairy from cloned animals
or their offspring is harmless to human health.1
Cloned animals have a much higher rate of genetic abnormalities than sexually reproduced animals. Most
cloned animals die immediately after birth because the intricacies of the cloning process are still not well
understood.2 Dolly, the first cloned sheep, died only six years after her birth of premature arthritis and
lung disease. Obviously there are many genetic complications with cloned animals. Why would we want
to ingest something that is known to be genetically flawed and diseased?
The FDA has also rejected requests for labeling food from cloned animals and their offspring. You may
be able to know if your milk is hormone-free, but you won’t be able to tell if it comes from a normal dairy
cow or a clone.
The FDA study did not look at the long-term health effects of consuming cloned animal products. Eating
genetically abnormal clones may cause human health abnormalities, leading to cancer and other late-onset
degenerative diseases.3 Genetically abnormal clones will also interact freely with the environment,
causing unknown downstream effects to other parts of the ecosystem. Creating a livestock population
that is genetically identical due to cloning is not sustainable because it reduces genetic diversity, putting
the entire livestock population at risk for disease.4
Companies that are pursuing animal cloning are the same companies who are pursuing human cloning.5
By approving and endorsing animal cloning, we are taking a huge ethical jump towards permitting human
cloning. Animal cloners want to create a superior animal breed. Perfecting that process will lead to a
resurgence of eugenics like never before to create a superior human race.
Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) has taken the lead in Congress on trying to prohibit cloned food from
entering our food supply. Her amendment to the Farm Bill (H.R. 2419) to halt the FDA’s endorsement of
cloned food until two studies were completed by the National Academy of Sciences and the United States
Department of Agriculture passed in the Senate. She also included language in the 2008 omnibus
package which strongly encouraged the FDA to delay any major decision on cloned food until further
study. Senator Mikulski has also introduced into the Senate the Cloned Food Labeling Act (S. 414)
which would require labeling of all food products from cloned animals or their offspring. Legislation has
been introduced in at least ten states (CA, KY, MA, MI, MO, NJ, NY, NC, TN, and WA) that would
require the labeling of cloned animal products.
1
FDA press release, Jan. 15, 2008 http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01776.html
L. Young, et al. (2001) “Epigenetic Change in IGF2R Is Associated with Fetal overgrowth After Sheep Embryo Culture,” Nature Genetics 27, No. 2: 153-154; J.
Travis. (2001) “Dolly Was Lucky,” Science News 160, No. 16: 250; Panarace, et al. (2007) “How healthy are clones and their progeny: 5 years of field experience.”
Theriogenology, Vol. 67: 142-151; J.C. Cross (2001) “Factors Affecting the Development Potential of Cloned Mammalian Embryos,” in Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, Vol. 98, No. 11: 5949-5951; Jorge Piedrahita, et al. “Somatic Cell Cloning: The Ultimate Form of Nuclear Reprogramming?” J. Am. Soc.
Nephrol., Vol. 15: 1140-1144.
3
National Academy of Sciences. (2004) “Safety of Genetically Engineered Foods: Approaches to Assessing Unintended Health Effects. Subreport: Methods and
Mechanisms of Genetic Manipulation and Cloning of Animals.” Online at http://www.nap.edu/books/030902094/html/; “Duplicate Dinner,” New Scientist, 19 May
2001. Online at http://www.new-scientist.com/article.ns?id=dn752
4
Johnson, Steve. (2005) “Cloning prospects multiplying,” San Jose Mercury News, Aug. 23.
5
The leading animal cloning companies, ViaGen and Cyagra, were created by companies most involved in human embryo cloning experiments (“Cloned Food:
Coming the a Supermarket Near You?,” Center for Food Safety, January 2007).
2
Facts on Using Cloned Animals for Food
Destructive technology
Cloning results in the death at least 95% of all created embryos.6 The process of cloning drastically
increases the chance of fatal disease for both the clone and the mother. Most studies of cloned animals
show that there are significant genetic abnormalities in animal clones.7 This can pose food safety risks.
Flawed risk-assessment
The FDA found NO peer-reviewed studies examining the safety of the meat or milk from the offspring of
cow clones, cloned pigs or their offspring, cloned goats or their offspring, on meat of cloned cows and
only three peer-reviewed studies of milk from cloned cows.8
Taking away consumer choice
The FDA lifted a voluntary ban in January 2008 which now permits meat and dairy from cloned cows,
pigs and goats and their offspring to enter the human food supply. There is no labeling or tracking
requirement on cloned animals.
The decision was bought
The Biotechnology Industry Organization spent over $1.9 million lobbying in the first quarter of 2008 to
get the FDA to lift the voluntary ban on allowing cloned meat and dairy in the human food supply.9
Global resistance
The European Union is waiting for more information before making a decision on using cloned animals
for food, and does not yet see convincing arguments to justify the production of food from clones or their
offspring.10 Japan prohibits selling cloned animal products to consumers.11 South Korea has already
banned imported beef from the US due to fear of Mad Cow Disease. South Korea will almost certainly
prohibit importing cloned meat from the US as well.
Many other countries are likely to ban using cloned animals for food, which would shut down the US
international meat and dairy markets.
Public does not want it
77% of American consumers are “not comfortable” with eating cloned animal products, and
81% of American consumers believe that cloned foods should be labeled.12
0% of participants in an FDA-sponsored study would feed cloned animal foods to their children.13
Some other organizations against using cloned animals for food:
American Anti-Vivisection Society, Ben & Jerry’s, Center for Food Safety, Center for Genetics and
Society, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Farm Sanctuary, Food & Water Watch,
Humane Society United States, National Farmers Union, National Organic Program, PCC Natural
Markets (Seattle, WA), Union of Concerned Scientists
6
Geir Tveit & Peter Sandoe (eds) (2005). “The Science and Technology of Farm Animal Cloning: A review of the state of the art of the science, the technology, the
problems and the possibilities.” Danish Center for Bioethics and Risk Assessment, project report 6 (from the summary, online at
http://www.sl.kvl.dk/cloninginpublic/index-filer/THESCIENCEANDTECHNOLOGYSummary.pdf)
7
Food and Drug Administration (2008). “Animal Cloning: A Risk Assessment - Final.” January 15, 2008 (FDA RA)
8
FDA RA
9
Biotechnology Industry Organization’s Lobbying Disclosure Report for Q1 of 2008 (available online http://ldsearch.house.gov/pdfform.aspx?id=300053207)
10
The European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies to the European Commission. “Ethical aspects of animal cloning for food supply (Opinion No
23). January 16, 2008 (available online http://ec.europa.eu/european_group_ethics/publications/docs/opinion23_en.pdf)
11
Kumagai, S. “Report: Safety of Cloned Cattle as Foods.” Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Tokyo 2003
12
Food Marketing Institute, May 5, 2008
13
Focus Groups on the Public’s Perception on the Health Risk Associated with Products from Animal Clones, obtained via the Freedom of Information Act from the
FDA, 2005