Thursday, September 25, 2008

Genetically Engineered Farm Animals and the FDA

The government said it will start considering proposals to sell genetically engineered animals as food, a move that could lead to faster growing fish, cattle that can resist mad cow disease, or perhaps heart-healthier eggs laid by a new breed of chicken.

The Food and Drug Administration issued a proposed legal framework for how it would resolve such questions as whether the altered animals are safe for human consumption and pose no serious environmental risks. FDA officials said they are focusing on animals that will be used as food, or to produce medications that would then be consumed by people or other animals.
Ok, that's bad enough from my point of view.

But then you get this.
... the FDA does not plan to require in all cases that genetically engineered meat, poultry and fish be labeled as such for consumers.

"They are talking about pigs that are going to have mouse genes in them, and this is not going to be labeled?" said Jean Halloran, director of food policy for Consumers Union. "We are close to speechless on this."
Why no labels? Because then people would know what not to buy. Who would that hurt? The Frankensteins who are pushing genetically engineered animals on the public.

So the government is allowing them to slip one over on the public. Colluding in it, as a matter of fact. I know I'm old fashioned but whatever happened to the idea that the government is there to serve the people?

Right. I know. That's a laugh riot.

That whole issue is what we saw begin when the government refused to let milk suppliers label whether or not their product contained rBGH. I wound up going over to organic milk then.

Well, I buy some organic things already so this will just make the push complete, I suppose. But what about restaurants? What kind of eggs will they be buying? Or beef?

Now that's gonna be an interesting dilemma.

*sigh*

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