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January 16th, 2008
10:56 PM ET
Where's the Beef...from?
You'll never hear me complain about having to eat a steak; it's one of my favorite foods. But steak from cloned cattle? Should that even make a difference if the FDA says it's safe?
This is one of those technology-versus-psychology stories. If the meat from a cloned animal is identical in taste and safety, then it pretty much comes down to how you feel about the idea. Now I'm not sure I'll be the first guy to try it – who wants to be a guinea pig when it comes to stuff you eat? – but if cloning leads to better beef, who'd have a beef with the idea?
Carl Azuz, Anchor
I don't see why the cloned beef can't be edible. Though I would have to say, I wonder if it'll taste the same?
I’m a little nervous about the cloned meat, even though it looks and tastes the same. Maybe if we wait a couple of years and keep testing it, people would be more willing to trust it and eat it.
If it looks like beef, tastes like beef, and smells good. I WILL eat it. However if I get sick then I might complain a little bit. Still I like my beef nice and fresh, that’s all that matters.
To me, I don’t really care if the beef is cloned or not. As long as eating it does not cause any harm to me long term or short term, then I am completely fine with it. If cloned beef is completely safe, then it will help with food problems other countries have.
I personally think that eating cloned beef is weird and I would rather eat naturally produced cattle. Even though the FDA has tested the product thoroughly I’m not 100% sure that they have had enough time to see what the long term affects are. In any case I am sure that one day soon cloned beef will be the norm.
I think that if they are cloned it doesn’t really matter because the meat will be the exact same
I think that clone animals are not yet safe to eat. I don’t think that the FDA has done enough research and experiments to find the long time effect of eating cloned animals. In the past DDT was approved by the FDA but soon found that DDT is dangerous to your health. I don’t think it’s ready for the dinner table yet.
I think that it wouldn’t be safe to eat cloned meat, because no telling what is in cloned meat compared to none cloned meat. I wouldn’t want to eat cloned meat, because I wouldn’t want to take a chance of getting sick over it. No matter if it tastes the same as regular meat or not, I wouldn’t want to eat it.
I think it comes down to how you feel about eating cloned meat. Unless the FDA withdraws their statements, I think if should be okay to eat the meat and other byproducts.
I don’t think that cloning food is a good idea because we don’t know the long term side effects of it yet. The FDA has been wrong before and they could be wrong again.
I don’t see the use in eating clone beef if we do not have to. The FDA says it is safe but that doesn’t mean they won’t change that later. They’ve said other things were safe and then found out that they were harmful. If there isn’t a food shortage, why take the risk?
The FDA has a history for making decisions based on insufficient evidence and testing. I do not think that an immediate health risk is something to fear, but with the uncertainty of the long-term, it is good to hear that meat companies are participating in the moratorium. I am more concerned with genetically modified food than with cloned animals, and with those foods all ready in the market, I wouldn’t like to have another reason to worry.
I don’t see the use in eating clone beef if we do not have to. The FDA says it is safe but that doesn’t mean they won’t change that later. They’ve said other things were safe and then found out that they were harmful. If there isn’t a food shortage, why take the risk?
I don’t really want to eat cloned meat or drink milk from a cloned cow. I don’t trust it and I don’t see the point in cloning a cow anyways. I think that if they want to sell cloned meat its fine, but I think it should be labeled. I want to know what I’m eating.
I think that it is a big problem that the government doesn’t label the beef is cloned or not because we might not see short term effects but we might be able to see long term effects later on.
I think this is playing god and I don’t agree with it, but I do not think that cloned beef will be any different from beef naturally produced. Granted the FDA also said that DHT was okay to spray on vegetables so I don’t know if I can fully trust their word. My only concern with this is the possibility of long term effects from some deformity in the DNA or proteins. I will not take that chance of the effects. I think they should label if it is Cloned or not.
I don’t care if the beef is from cloned animals, as long as it still tastes delicious. You’ll never know if you eat beef from cloned animals because they don’t tag them, so what’s the big deal.
cloned meat is essentialy the same, the only difference is how that animal is used for the meat entered the world, every other aspect from how it is raised, to how the proccess it is the same. so there shouldnt be any problems. unless some new disease that comes only from cloned meat developes, I wouldnt have any problem eating it.
I believe the decision made about the cloned beef was too hasty. The beef might be perfectly fine for a short time, but I’m concerned with the long-term effects it might have on a person. I fail to see why cows are being cloned in the first place when there isn’t a shortage. Even so, the number of cows can increase naturally via procreation.
I don't think is right to put something coloned on shelfs intill the know that it is all right to eat. And it is just plain gross!
The cloned beef is FDA approved and if it's still beef people shouldn't have second thoughts about eating the beef.
As long as there is nothing wrong with beef from clones then I don’t see the problem in eating it. However, I think it’s very important to be absolutely sure about the safety hazards. I don’t know how long that would take but is there really any hurry?
I think cloning farm animals that we use for food can be a good idea. But, I also think that right now we already have more meat than we know what to do with. So it might be a good idea keep the cloning of animals idea in the air, just in case we ever need it in the future.
I feel that as long as the animal that they cloned was safe to eat then why wouldn’t the clone be just as good… they have the same exact chemical build up. Another thing is I really don’t want them to label the beef cloned or not because they are the exact thing, “clones” so why is there a need to label something different that is indeed the same. The only thing that would come from that is the rise of prices on regular beef products.
I think if the beef tastes better than the original then it should be fine to produce. But, if it only changes the taste slightly or makes it worse then why would you pay the money to clone the cows? But if they do produce it then they need to be 100% positive there are no side effects. And I think they need to label the packages that are from the cloned cow.
I would not have a problem eating cloned meat because if its FDA approved, then there’s nothing wrong with it. But if we did have a problem, I would pretty much not eat it.
I think that being able to clone animals is a gift and that we should take advantage of it to help solve the hunger issues around the world. I also think that the clone food should be labeled “Cloned” or “Not Cloned” so people can choose if they want original or the next best thing.
I don’t really know too much about the cloned beef. I don’t know if it would taste any difference so how would anyone know if they’ve eaten it. Since the animal’s are pretty much exactly and scientist and what not go through that much trouble to clone, why not use them. What else would you use cloned animals for is you can’t use their meat and milk?
I think that the idea of cloned beef is a reasonable idea, and that it sounds just as healthy as regular meat. Though, all of the side effects have not been seen, nothing horrible could come from this new way of creating meat products. If the meat is just as healthy as the normally produced meat, there should be no problems-the question is whether it tastes the same or not.
I think that the idea of cloned beef is a reasonable idea, and that it sounds just as healthy as regular meat. Though, all of the side effects have not been seen, nothing horrible could come from this new way of creating meat products. If the meat is just as healthy as the normally produced meat, there should be no problems-the question is whether it tastes the same or not.
Personally, I believe people should be cautious when buying cloned beef. Nobody’s really sure of the long-term affects yet and they could be disastrous, like cancer or some other disease. I also believe that it should be labeled in the stores, that way; people who are unsure about it could avoid it if they don’t want it.
If the FDA says its ok, then I personally have no problem with eating it, sure it’s a little weird to think about but it’s a great way to increase supply when demand is higher. As long as it is not marked in any way to show that the product is from a cloned animal then I think most people will be fine with it.
As long as there are no negative effects of cloned beef on you health, then I guess I don’t have much of a problem eating it. As long as cattle don’t suffer any more than they already do due to the cloning process, I think this is a smart idea, for it will help the United States beef market, though it will in turn hurt the markets of nations who do not have the materials to clone the best cattle.
The FDA claims that they will not label the food because it is identical to foods produced from natural methods and they don’t have to distinguish between these methods. However, as a consumer, I feel as though I have a right to know the origins of the product I am consuming. For example, many farms distinguish their food as “organic” as opposed to other means of production, but they often label it because they feel it will cater to certain consumer groups. I personally think a large portion of the decision to not label cloned meat stems from the fact that the FDA knows no one will buy cloned meat if it is labeled. Therefore since the consumer can not taste the difference they will be none the wiser. I personally would like to see the results of more extensive research before the cloned meat is put on shelves, as well as having it distinguished between natural meat.
I believe that cloned beef is perfectly fine as long as there is no health risks involved. I also believe that not enough testing has been done t determine if there really is no health risks involved. If more testing is done and there are no risks found then I think that the cloned meat will make the prices of meat go down and will be good for consumers not concerned about the ethics of cloning.
I believe that the cloned beef is perfectly fine to eat if the government programs can not tell the difference between the cloned beef and the real beef. I think that the scientists have accomplished a lot in making these cloned animals so why put those new learned skills to waste. If the meat is good and safe to eat than we should eat it.
Beef is beef ....just eat it!
I see no problem with cloned beef if there is not any potential health risks. If the beef is the same why not use the cloned beef instead of using natural beef. But if there is potential health risks then I think that the meat shouldn't be put on the market for the health of the American people.
I wouldn't want to eat the beef before it is 100% safe. Just because the FDA says it is doesn't mean that it is. Something could go wrong in the cloning process and they might not know it.
I see no problem with eating cloned meat. It's the exact same thing as meat from a regular cow. They could put cloned meat on the market and not tell anyone, and nothing would happen. People wouldn't even realise that they were eating it. Being able to eat cloned meat would save money and help get food to people who need it.
I think that it is kinda gross to think about eating cloned cows, but at the same time if it tastes the same and is safe for you to eat, then there shouldn't be a problem with it. I don't know what i think about it.
I think that if the FDA says that it's O.K. to eat, then its O.K. to eat. I am alright with the idea that there is cloned meat, if it tastes and looks the same, then I will eat it. Steak is my favorite food and this is not going to change anything.
I Think that they is not anything wrong with eating clonee meat. From how i see it meat is meat it would not hurt to eat cloned meat. It would sometime be better to eat cloned meat because it is a better beef for your body.
I think that eating beef from cloned cows is disgusting, not to mention the health risks. Beef from cloned cows hasn't even been tested for a long enough time to know if there are health risks associated with it. If companies are going to sell anything to their consumers from a cloned animal/organism, they should label the package to let people know about it.
I dont really care what type of meat is it, cloned or real, if it tastes the same and it doesent kill me ill eat it. People should not be worryed about it, they probably already ate cloned meat and dident even notice. There is no point in labeling it because there really is no difference. It would be cool if they were able to clone other stuff.
If i ever eat clonned meat then i probably would not know the difference.
But if i was eating it and someone told me it was clonned then i migh think twice about eating it.
But really who cares if the meat is clonned just as long as it taste good and gives you the proteins and nutrition you need to succed and wont kill me.
As long as it’s tested for diseases I think it should be OK to eat it’s just a regular animal if it’s clone was eaten then they should be fine to eat. If there isn’t being enough animals produced to eat then how else are we suppose to get animals to survive?
Cloning is a little weird to me. I dont see how someone can get the exact replica of a cow. It doesn't bother me thought that it might be sold in stores. Just as long as it is FDA approved.
If cloned beef wont hurt you then why not eat it? It really just has to do with how you feel about eating it. It is just the same as eating regular meat, but it just didn’t come from a full blooded beef cow. It wont change the way your food taste and as far as anybody knows there isn’t any side effects, so far.
I really don't have a problem like everyone else does about cloned beef. It's no different than the regular meat that we eat all the time. It's still a cow. It's not artificial or anything, and if it's better for you, why not.
I think that cloning cows is a good idea because the more meat the better. That means that who ever kill the cows they will probably kill less. Keep cloning if its good for our health.
They have passed it by the FDA about putting cloned beef on the market to sell. It really doesn’t sound good when you think of it, but if the FDA passed it to be safe then it can’t be bad. If I do eat it, I wouldn’t want to know that I am eating it, but I guess it really doesn’t matter.
I don't see what the problem would be. Scientists could then choose the best traits and clone those traits. Because of this capability, the meat will have more quality and also be more consistent due to an "artificial selection".
I think eating cloned meat shouldnt be bad, because they shouldnt put food in the market or sell it anywhere if you cant eat it.
To feel completely comfortable eating cloned products, I would need to see some actual information about it. Hearing “They say it’s safe.” means they say it is; It doesn’t mean it actually is. Low grade meat is safe to eat, but that doesn’t mean you would really want to eat it. There’s better meat available. If I could see how it compares to meat, to see if there are at least any minuscule differences, then I would gladly accept it. But…it’s questionable why they don’t labile it. Maybe it’s because it would likely sell less because people would be timid to try it. Do we not have a right to know exactly what we’re paying to eat? Once or if people understand that it’s the same, then they will approve and use the product. Hiding it in with the average products isn’t a solution to having people use it, at least, it shouldn’t be. Also, if they’re mixing the cloned meat with the normal meat, then there’s really no point in having cloned meat. The only advantage I can see between the two meats, if they are indeed the same, is that the cloned meat may eventually be cheaper than normal meat, while still being the same quality. So…if it’s exactly the same quality and cost, there’s not much of a reason for a farmer to clone their animals, if they spend and get the same either way.
Besides being suspicious as to some of the smaller details, I think it’s great and will eventually form the future. Not a future of clones, but a future of equal or greater values with less costly and simpler ways to make them. I believe this is one microscopic step on our journey to form a better world society for humanity. But, right now, it’s nothing all too big. We still have countless steps to take, but it’s still nice to know we’re making progress.
I think that it would be ok to commercially clone because it would increase production and decrease the costs associated with it. Humans have to be off limits so we can keep our right to identity.
Although these meats have been FDA approved i would feel still skeptical about eating the meat from a cloned animal. Since cloning is still a relatively new study there could be long term problems with this meat that havn’t been discovered yet. i believe more test should be conducted before this cloned meat hits the market full time.
A long as there isn't a problem with it, i don't care to eat it!
I think that meat from a cloned cattle is no different from a real cows meat. If the cows are exactly the same, then why not the meat?
Okay, i think it is really weird not to have it labeled....it might have a different taste and all but that is really scarey to not know if you are eating a clone or the real thing.....
I think that cloned beef is not going to taste any different than other beef but there can be hard to cook and it can cause a sickness like mad cow because that cow that it was cloned from could have had mad cow.
We were wondering if any cloning technology is being used to help increase the populations of endangered species. Do you know?
Mrs. Hillenbrands 7th Grade Social Studies Class
Christ the King School
Evansville, Indiana
it seems off the hook dawg
I THink THAT tHIS iS A VEry GoOd Story And A hiGHly aDvise More Kids To Read This Story.....
Do we not have enough cows or something?? Why are they cloning??? I think the should clone animals when there is not enough to feed the world. Doesn't it cost money to clone?? That money should go to like a poor state or country not for cloning cows!!
I think this is a very good story and I think teachers should use it as a example in their classes. For example my Gov. Teacher used the artical "Getting paid to study" in class today and it reallyed helped my class to understand somthing about Government.
I think that if their going to clone animals then they should clone animals that are on the endangered list not clows because there is already enough cows in the world. SO I SAY STOP CLONEING COWS AND STAR CLONEING ANIMALS THAT ARE ENDANGER AND ONLY CLONE COWS WHEN THEIR ON THE ENDANGERED LIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I get why they are cloning cows and stuff but i dont think people should eat them. We dont know the effect the meat has on us and we dont know what could happen. Besides instead of cloning stuff i think people should pay more attention to the economy and stuff.
Well i might eat it but it all depends!! Because i am a very picky eater ((especially with my steaks)) i don't reallt like to try new things!!