Also Watch Out For…
problems, excessive growths in the digestive tract and ad-
verse immune reactions.
CloNiNG
One thing is certain—GMOs are an uncontrolled human
Cloning raises fundamental issues around the ethics
experiment. A leading pediatric neurologist at Harvard Medi-
of eating.
cal School, Dr. Martha R. Herbert, says: “Today, the vast
Cloning is not the same as genetic engineering.
majority of foods in supermarkets contain genetically modi-
Cloning is a reproductive technique that makes a
fied substances whose effects on our health are unknown. As
genetically identical copy of a plant or animal, by-
a medical doctor, I can assure you that no one in the medical
passing normal sexual reproduction. Cloning is used
profession would attempt to perform experiments on human
along with genetic engineering to reproduce geneti-
subjects without their consent. Such conduct is illegal and
cally modified organisms.
unethical. Yet, manufacturers of genetically altered foods are
Currently, many animals considered commer-
exposing us to one of the largest uncontrolled experiments in
cially useful are cloned. the question this raises is,
modern history.”
even if we can do this, should we? Critics say clon-
In terms of nutrition, as early as 1992, scientists at the
ing is unethical, unnecessary and unsafe.
Food and Drug Administration warned that GMOs could
“dolly,” a sheep, was the first cloned farm
cause “undesirable alteration in the level of nutrients” in
animal. she lived from 1996 to 2003 and remains a
foods. Later, one study found that GMO soybeans repeatedly
symbol of what can go wrong. the Center for food
sprayed with herbicides had 12 to 14 percent less essential
safety reports that, “more than 90 percent of cloning
phytonutrient content than conventionally grown soybeans.
attempts fail, and cloned animals that are born have
Here’s why scientists think GMOs are different: when
more health problems and higher mortality rates than
plants are forced to do something as stressful as having
sexually reproduced animals.”
to stay alive while being repeatedly sprayed with a lethal
Carol tucker foreman, director of food policy
herbicide, they make tradeoffs during the growth cycle. One
at the Consumer federation of america, adds that
tradeoff might be diminished nutrient content; another might
cloned animals have higher rates of birth deformities.
be in the plant’s ability to produce seed, which would affect
Cloning creates untold suffering for animals sacri-
productivity. More than 8,000 field trials and numerous stud-
ficed in the process, and the defects in the animals
ies have shown that herbicide-resistant soybeans are 6 to 11
can affect the meat and milk products they produce.
percent less productive than conventional varieties.
regardless, in september 2008, the fda ap-

proved the sale of meat and milk from cloned ani-
the Politics of Food
mals for human consumption. since the government
The facts about GMOs reveal that they are not more pro-
does not require that it be labeled as such, consum-
ductive than conventional crops and they are not better for
ers will not be able to refuse it at the supermarket.
people. Still, many consumers and farmers believe the adver-
tising that says GMOs can feed the world.
The Center for Food Safety, which has sued the Food
Unfortunately, the public does not get reliable informa-
and Drug Administration to stop approval of food
tion about GMOs. That’s because, even before GMOs went
from cloned animals, summarizes the issue at
on the market, government regulators made a political deci-
CenterForFoodSafety.org/pubs/fact%20sheet.pdf and
sion, not one based on science, that they would treat GMO
CenterForFoodSafety.org/cloned_animals.cfm.
foods the same as natural foods. It also was decided that
no new laws would be passed to oversee this industry. This
Animal rights, humane organizations and the Union
ineffective regulatory system is causing even greater con-
of Concerned Scientists question many aspects of
cern now because pending products, such as GMO animals,
animal cloning. As a starting point,
fish and insects, and plants that are engineered with human
see aavs.org/images/cloningfactsheet.pdf and ucsusa.
genes and pharmaceuticals, are coming on the market or
org/news/press_release/scientists-say-cloning.html.
have already contaminated farm fields and the food supply.
“the FDA needs to request that
Congress amend the new animal drug
law, so that the process is transparent,
and it needs to require labeling, so that
the public can report any problems
they discover with the product.”
— Jaydee Hanson, policy analyst on cloning and genetics
with the Center for Food Safety, responding to the proposed
approval process for genetically engineered (GE) animals
 Collier / Lee Counties
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