Cloning "meats" its future

From time to time, I've written to you about news on the cloning and genetic engineering fronts. It's time for another one today…

But first, I need to make sure you know the distinction between the two. Cloning is simply creating an individual of any species that's genetically identical to some parent (cell-donating) animal. It's like a photocopy, or a twin that's "born" later on.

Genetic engineering, on the other hand, is when mankind changes an organism to meet some need using some foreign or modified genetic material - like making a glow-in-the-dark fish to keep as a pet or designing a baby to make it grow up taller or with a full head of hair.

Generally, I've been leery of many aspects of genetic engineering (except in its potential for enhancing foods, if properly regulated), fearing the possibility of either blatant abuse or the creation of deadly mutations, like something out of The Island of Doctor Moreau. Cloning, on the other hand, is a technology I've generally come out in favor of - when used for the production of high-quality foodstuffs.

As a scientist, I respect the potential of cloning (when done right, of course) to standardize the quality of meats, or to refine things like protein/fat ratios, etc…

Now that we're all clear on this distinction, time for the update:

According to an October 17th Washington Post online article, the FDA is very close to approving milk and meats from cloned animals. A decision on the matter is expected by year's end, in fact. This is quite a development, considering that it was only 10 years ago when the world's first cloned mammal - Dolly the sheep - drew its first breath…

Today, the technique has been successfully applied to cattle, horses, pigs, goats, and other beasts. According to the article, spokespersons from the FDA claim their research shows that the meat and milk from these animals is no less safe than what we already eat every day - it apparently poses no additional risks to consumers whatsoever.

Interestingly enough, consumers are quite leery of cloned meat and milk products, if the data is to be believed. Pew Institute surveys reveal that roughly 60% of the American public is uncomfortable with the idea of eating cloned animal products. In my opinion, this fear is unfounded, however.

• A new study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Meat Animal Research Center collected 242 identically raised cloned hogs for testing. Of more than 14,000 individual measures and comparisons of the meat from these boars, only three were significantly different from a similar pool of domestic animals - with only one falling outside the agency's "normal" parameters…
  
  
• Another study, this one from a Pennsylvania cloning company, compared 80 blood and urine measures between 74 cloned animals and a similar number of conventionally reared livestock. No measurable differences were found. Then, matching cuts of meat from both pools of animals were evaluated for 79 different biochemical factors - again with no distinguishable differences between them…

So, why do most people seem to fear this new source of high-quality, consistent meat and animal products?

Interestingly, it's principally for religious or ethical reasons, not fear of poor quality or mutation or whatever, the Pew data indicates. Apparently, Americans think the animals on their plates taste better with their individual souls intact in the meat…

And with the FDA likely to soon grant their seal of approval to cloned meat and milk products, all that remains is to see whether (or when) the market embraces the "new" meats. I know I'll be first in line for them.