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I don't care if the meat I buy is raised traditionally or cloned. What matters to me is that I can afford it and that it is free of bacterial and chemical contamination, Both of those happen after the animal is slaughtered, not when the animal is being conceived. If the opponents of cloned meat animals think each little calf is conceived by natural impregnation, they're sadly misinformed anyway.

If the FDA is correct, and there is no difference between cloned and natural meat, then no. This discovery will make more, cheaper meat, a break we desperately need with the way the economy is going.

Food labels? We don't need no steenkin' labels on food...the only labels required by the people, are the resumes of the FDA commissioners. Then you will know why we don't need labels. All of pharmaceutical's bad ingredients are in drugs re-imported from Canada that are manufactured here in the US. Ask any senior.

Yes, Jack. The public has a right to know all the ingredients in what they buy and where it comes from. Are the food producers and packers concerned that there are those who would not buy the product. They indicate food which is organic, do they not? Maybe they should concentrate more on lowering the prices on what they sell, rather than a few extra words.
Perhaps they worry that if the public accepts cloned food, the cloning process will spread to producing our policitical leaders. They may eat cloned meat, but how many would be happy with a cloned Bush - father and son were enough!

What has happened to the USA. I don't recognize our country anymore. It is all about corporate profits for the CEO's. Disgusting!

Cloning, the use of hormones and antibiotics, and the introduction of any foreign substance and/or DNA for the purpose growth enhancement or disease/parasite treatment should be included on ALL products sold for human and animal consumption. Period.

In addition, any products, of animal or plant origin, should be allowed to advertise if they were raised WITHOUT the use of such methods. Some states are outlawing companies from advertising that they do not use growth hormones in their dairy production. How wrong is that?

yes sir, absolutely, for sure, without a dought, definitely,
Scott bowling green, mo.

ps:' do you think bush is a clone, even an illiterit human is smarter than the president. damn shame

Why bother making a law for the US to require lables for cloned meat. They will just lie as usual & say it good.

Consuming cloned meat might represent a health hazzard, we don't know. Perhaps a greater health concern should be the fact that these cows are fed genetically modified corn that incorporates a gene to produce a toxin that kills rootworms and that the carbohydrates and proteins from that corn, along with the toxins are incorporated into the meat of every piece of beef we eat and subsequently into our body tissues. Thanks Monsanto.

they should darn well have ANY wierd food product LABELED, BUT it's hasn't happened with meat from outside the United States although country-of-origin labeling has been the LAW for 5 years. problem is, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, which represents both ranchers AND meatpackers, opposes origin labeling and has used their lobby machine to delay implementation.

so the US Government can pass all the rules and regulations it want's too BUT I doubt they will be inforced.

Yes. So long as the FDA inspects the meat & makes sure there's nothing in the meat that shouldn't be there I have no problem with the meat coming from cloned cows. If the cow that was cloned has high quality meat then we should be safe.

Jack,
Of course they should label cloned meats. And since the FDA says that cloned meat is as safe as the real stuff, does that mean we can now get cloned ecoli?

Yes the goverment should require labels if ingredients come from cloned animals.
I would like to know if I had already decided I didn't like what I just eat the first time I had it.

The FDA claims that its safe to eat
The milk from cloned cows, what a treat!
I'm not scared of genetics
But I fear Dianetics
And Tom Cruise lecturing "Don't eat the meat !"

Jim
My wife and I Love the show!

What good are laws when the inspectors inspect less than 10% of the foods. I certainly would like to know if I had a choice as to whether I will buy cloned meat, but as usual, the consumer will be the last to know!!!!!

All meats should be labeled without question!

Cloned meat? Sweeeeeeeeet! Of course you do not need any labels, all the information you need will reflect in the price. The concern is will it be cheaper meat or more expensive? If cheaper are we putting people out of work? If more expensive, how this meat is going to compete? Are they going to clone animals only? Who will control the process? That is where my concern is..

I'm not too concerned about the cloning of animals for slaughtering. But rather more concerned what they feed and inject into the animals, like steroids that make as big as a house. I am also concerned about the inspection of meat before it leaves the slaughterhouse. If they solve these problems I will be glad to sit down and eat a good steak, whenever a I can afford it.

Why, Jack? The FDA has never come clean before, why should they now? We don't even know if the drugs we take have been approved! We don't know what is in our vaccines or if our meat is safe since it is always late on the recalls otherwise it wouldn't take three months before a recall of tons of tainted beef. You know, I bet if we let China inspect us for flaws in our system they would find as many that we find in theirs. At least they kill the corrupt party once found!

I don't trust this government to tell us the truth, so there must be food labels that include origin and if it is cloned. The FDA has already admitted that it is under-funded and under-staffed, so it is vitally important for us to be able to decide what type of food we want to purchase. Consider that they base their approvals for foods and drugs on what the company tells them, that is another reason for being concerned and need to be able to choose.

No. Health and Human Services (you know, that dept that represents the people) sided with industry and decided it wasn't necessary. It's for our own good not to know where our food comes from. It would only upset us.

I AM SURE THAT OUR GOVERNMENT WILL FINALLY SEE THE LIGHT AND GIVE CONSUMERS WHAT WE ARE DEMANDING, A LITTLE COMMON SENSE. UNFORTUNATELY IT WILL BE PRINTED IN EITHER CHINESE OR SPANISH.

Much better if the government spent it's time protecting us from things that are actually dangerous. I'd eat a nice healthy Franken-steak as long as it didn't come from China.

Absolutely the meat should contain specific labeling. If the gov't wants to give me the choice between cloned and uncloned, that's fine. It's also my decision, and my decision alone wether or not I choose to consume it. I deserve to know what I'm putting in my body.

If the government can find something unsafe about them, then yes. Otherwise, I'm fine with eating the same cow "twice".

Yes, the Government should require labels reading cloned product including the nutritional value and all the negatives. I guess I'll learn to eat more fruits and vegetables which will also sky rocket in price if you don't want the cloned products.

The consumer should know as much as possible about where are food came from and how. There is already a resistance to the former so you know we will have a battle on labeling from clones. Why is there such a problem with integrity and choice? We even have a hard time finding how many calories are in fast food.
I amazed that we have a Surgeon General Warning on cigarettes and one Alcohol for Pregnant Women, and on some medicines for operating a motorized vehicle.

A fair and open market place is operated by choice not without it. Jack, this is not an election you know.

I'd rather see labels telling me the country of origin or the wages and work conditions of those who grew or harvested the food. I'm more afraid that I might eat some contaminated food from China. And I certainly don't want to be a party to slave labor.

Most of the people complaining about cloned meat probably haven't ever sat in a science classroom. But who needs science when you can go on your own little moral crusade?

What makes you think you haven't already been buying cloned meat? What? The governemnt didn't send you the memo 5 years ago?
The government can't keep up with tons of tainted spinach. What the hell makes you think they can keep up with millions of heads of cattle, pork and sheep?

I think so, people have a right to know what they're eating and where it came from.

only if there is a proven difference in the meat, otherwise it's just the buerocracy sticking its nose in another place where it is unnecesary.

Let me answer the question with how the question could also be asked: Should the government require labels identifying meat that came from identical cow twins?
As far as biology goes a clone is basically the same as an identical twin and I bever heard in all my life people calling for the labelling of meat that came from cow twins. So what's the big deal?

Mark
Bowie, MD

Things were so much simpler when the government just lied to me

We more than have a right to know what is in our food, however with Bush boy in charge he seem to think his corporation buddies bottom line is more important than ours.
Melvin
Colorado

Yes they should require it, but who is going to enforce? Maybe we can clone the animals in such away as to have them make their own labels!

Of Coarse they should. If there really is nothing wrong with cloned meat than why NOT. This is the same FDA that can't inspect more than 1% of imported food, and that claims Canadian Prescription Drugs can't be proved safe.

Yes, I think that meat should be labeled "cloned." I wouldn't purchase it if I knew that it was from cloned animals. However, how much of our food now comes from other countries and we don't know anything about how it was raised and what was done to it during production.food sources, The only way to be safe, I guess, is for each of us to start raising our own food sources.

Coming from a medical perspective. I think it is important consumer know what they are eating because they may have an allergy to something. It should also be our democratic choice to make. But honestly, Why would politicans let us make our own choice? That would be the right thing to do!

Dana
Florida

How about just the regular meet standard producers promote their product as Clone Free – Other than advertising does anyone really believe that a package they are buying actually contains what is stated on the package. guess again

Absolutely. It should also provide a web link to the names of the wise-guys that did NOT want this information divulged. That way, when people get sick from eating cloned meat, the class-action lawyers' jobs will be made a lot easier in finding the persons to sue.

One would think that this is a no-brainer, just stamp it CLONED, no big deal. If we could only figure out the infinite wisdom our government bestows on us, like the Q-Tip box that warns, “DON’T USE IN EARS” or airline peanuts labeled, “CAUTION: MAY CONTAIN PEANUTS”, yet we are debating whether to label meat that was grown in a test tube.

Yes! With all the posoned products coming from China,we must be ever vigilant. Congress is investigating baseball for steroids when everyone in The U.S. would probably test positive with all the junk that is pumped into all the farm animals and fish.

Yes! With all the posoned products coming from China,we must be ever vigilant. Congress is investigating baseball for steroids when everyone in The U.S. would probably test positive with all the junk that is pumped into all the farm animals and fish.

Absolutely!!! We have a right to know where our consumer products come from and where they have been!
We have enough altered products on the market these days. I preferto know if my meat is cloned or genetically modified so that big Agg. can increase their bottom line.
The only good thing about it is it will further the advancement of organic agriculture and the increasing demand for smaller, locally owned and operated farms!
It strikes me as odd that the religeous zelots in this country have no problem invading a womens uterous and dont seem to have a problem with man creating life only to kill and eat it later? And doesnt this kind of confirm the theory of evolution and undermine their message!

Yes the labels should be put on there so people who buy meat know that the meat is cloned. But I don't think thats going to do anything important because there problems with meat already. I'm not saying that all meat in the store is messed up but now cloned meat is goin to be put on the shelf which no one knows how that meat is. Who knows the meat might be good and equal to meat we eat now because its cloned.

They should put labels on goverment officials so we know what we are getting,oh yeah, we all know what there full of..............

What? Me, Worry? Nope, our genetics have already been messed with all our lives. Now, they should label any cloned humans as to who they are cloned after.

Of course you should know the content of your food. That's just common sense.

That fact that this needs to be argued is a testament to how far our government as fallen. Of course this is the same FDA that didn't seem to think it was important to let people know that Vioxx could kill them either, so we can hardly be surprised.

Sometimes too much information is not good but with food well I would like to know. It might help if we could try a piece before purchasing it I wonder if our astronauts when in space check out the labels on their food. I wonder if those in impovershed places like Africa would be asking to check the labels before eating it or would they just thank-you for the food. Makes you wonder about our early days when we had to hunt for our food, all they had was a small rifle or a bow and arrow and a sharp knife, and a garden. Born too late I guess

Jack,
Those idiots at the FDA must have eaten a BSE cow from Canada and now has Mad Cow Disease. Lableing is a must. How else are we going to find out what is killing us in the future? Oh, now I get it?

Jack,
The FDA is a joke. They are tools to the corporations, especially the drug companies. They probably won't even require that the corporations tell us which food is cloned. A $2.1 billion budget is a joke. This is what we pay for all of these "oppressive" regulations that these massive conglomerates whine about. Just subtract that number from what we pay each year in Iraq and the result will be total corporate profits.

Sure why not put a label on it. Will make it cheaper when all the retards decide not to eat it and then i afford to eat better. All i can say is Yum.

Use it to feed the starving in other countries.

I believe that the FDA should require any meat that is cloned to be labeled as such. I believe that it should be my choice as a consumer if I want to buy real meat or meat that is from a cloned animal!

Can you say: "I am legend."

It is completly irresponsible for them not to label the food as coming from a cloned animal. As with ANY new product... if they do not label it and do not track it and there does happen to be a problem... then what are we supposed to do? recall all the beef and milk and cheese in the world because we dont know where it went? This is a disgusting failiure on the part of the US government.

The government is deciding, once again, that I don't need to decide.

Well i dont guess it really matters, the meat we eat is so full of preservatives, anti-biotics, and who knows what else anyway. I say we just call it organic and go on bout our ways, thats close enough by FDA standards anyways.

I do not want to eat a scientifically altered product. Americans are so unaware of organic and all natural styles of eating. We need to worry not just about the cloning but about the raising of our food. Hormones, chemicals and other various "acceptable" food farming is poisoning Americans. Why should we allow science to control something as simple as our God given forms of survival. I say get science out of food. Let food be what it is meant to be and that is a nutritional necessity.

Dear Mr. Cafferty,

The FDA isn't aware of what's going on to begin with! Who knows if something is safe to eat or what is safe to aleve a headache with now based on the past history of recalled foods and medications-it's a crap shoot! Heck, they wouldn't be ABLE to tell if an animal was cloned or not.

Jack,
A cow is a cow no matter how it started. We start new human life with the help of test tube technology. Why does it matter the animal's pedigree? I agree there is no difference in the finished product and have no qualms about using any cloned product.

It is a fact cloned animals so often die of bizarre abnormalities and just knowing that is a good reason to not buy and products from those animals. Meet must be labled!!!

Its funny that last night I heard an FDA official say they have been researching this for many years, and there is no difference in the meats. Am I wrong or didn't they just start cloning a few years ago.

Well,i don't think that it should be posted because if it was probably no one will buy the cloned meat.It will be a waste of money.

hell yes!!! i would want to know if i'm eating a clone!! some consumers might believe that cloning is wrong. They should be able to choose not to eat them!

Yeah, I look at it like medicine. I want to know what it is and the viable sideaffects. Oh yeah I forgot we are talking about clones, not that that makes any difference. Sure go right up to the butcher and get a T-bone out of ole bessy and then go to the next market and get some hamburger meat from ole bessy #2 doesn't this sound a little odd.

I say we let all the candiates in the GOP races eat it first. If the meat is safe to eat, then we can all feel safer. But if one of the Republican candidates drops dead from the tainted meat, then it's no big loss to America.

Quite Icky indeed. Shouldn't the consumer have the choice to choose between a cloned burger and a regular burger?

They absolutely should! The day cloned chicken, beef, etc. is sold in the stores without distingusing packages is the day I become a vegetarian. I know many times we are unaware of what we are eating, however consumers should have the right to be aware of things such as food resulting from cloned animals.

Why use labels, it can't be any worse for us than what the Republican party has been feeding us over the last seven years.

I absolutely refuse to eat cloned meat. Since I will not know what has been cloned and what has not been cloned, I will be doing my shopping from Whole Foods. Even if it means cutting down on the amount of meat my family eats during meals, I would prefer to do that than eat meat that could possibly have been cloned. My husband and I have already discussed our plans on this matter.

"Should the government require that labels say if ingredients come from cloned animals?"

Absolutely they should be labeled, as should the fact that Bovine Growth Hormone should be on the label, if used. In this case, and in most cases, truth in advertising is always best for the customer.

Besides, are we to trust any announcement from this Administration considering how prior 'scientific announcements' have been altered to fit the President's agenda?

yes and there is a difference it's not a natureral birth, i want to know . i'm not a religous person .

Of course cloned ingredients should be labeled as such. Those with moral oppositions to consuming cloned animals are likely going to fight for it anyway. The government should save some money on litigation and require proper labeling as soon as the cloned products hit the market. Oh wait, that makes sense.

The Bush administration is again correct - no labelling or regulation is required; the free market will take care of the matter. After all, if people eat any food that kills them, they won't buy it again, will they?

bring on the cloned food, it's just like when a rat falls into the wine making process it will only make it taste better, why label it? I wonder if it will be less expensive...

What a pointless idea to label the cloned meat. How would they check a disputed claim? DNA analysis? Oh, wait, it's cloned from the DNA.

The only place the government MIGHT have any role in this (other than USDA's role to keep our food safe) is to make sure that if the process becomes inexpensive, producers don't buy inexpensive animals prone to genetic diseases to clone to improve their profit margins.

Yes, the government definitely needs to label cloned meat. As someone who eats very little meat and mostly organic foods and natural foods, I'm really not trying to eat meat that came from an animal that was produced by a human. It grosses me out and is just not natural. There's too many chemicals, artificial flavors, and processing done in food already.

Since when is the FDA to be believed about anything? Their record on drugs accepted for distribution is not sterling. Of course, the public should be aware of what they are buying and should have the opportunity to say NO.

It is beyond appalling that this "Government," who has led us down the wrong path for 7+ years now has the audacity to tell us that one cow = any ole cow or steer or pig or whatever they deem clonable!
It's a violation of people's rights!
Then again, what else is new...?

Diana, R.N.
CT

Eating "cloned" meat is no different than eating meat from an identical twin. Are you going to demand that "twin" meat is labeled? I can't figure who it is that objects so strongly to the science of cloning. Grow up, World, these advances are inevitable with the increasing demands on our environment.

I think cloned meat should be OK. After all, there's a song about it: "Send in the Clones."

This is a similar situation that happened quite some time ago, in Grand Junction Colorado. The government ruled the uranium mill tailing were "safe" and would be suitable for use for fill dirt. About 20 years later they realized what a mistake that was, and it became a "super fund" cleanup sight to remove the mill tailings and subsequent radiation. Their "no difference" theory applied then, too. They didn't have the technology then to measure the difference, but we do now. I wonder how many lives they are risking to say there is "no difference" and not labeling the meat as such.

This is just plain gross! I have a right to decide what goes in my body and yes, it should be mandatory to label foods with cloned animal products. Looks like I'll be shopping at my neighborhood organic grocer from now on.

G.P.
Baltimoe

Just like drug companies have to identify generics from brand names, we should know if the product a brand item (the actual item) or a "generic" (or cloned item).
There should not be a problem in telling the consumer what they are putting in their bodies.

Jack,
Not only would I expect products containing cloned meat be labeled, they should be equipped with flashing lights and sirens!
Cory

Jack we can't get label's on the food now so we know where it comes from fat chance of getting it on the Cow's. And the good part of this is you can have the same steak every year on your birthday, and when you get a good cut of beef you can order it over and over again. I think I'm ready to go Vegetarian.

The muscle from a cloned bovine is the same as any other. There are no toxins or chemicals involved in the development of the embryo. All labeling would do would be to allow perfectly good food to spoil all because the misinformed or stubborn are too paranoid to try something new.

Why are they cloning animals in the first place? And if this is actually going to go through then YES! we have every right to know where the food we are consuming is coming from and to choose whether we want or do not want to purchase it!

Consumers must have the choice whether to buy or not. So such products must be labled. It is required to print how much fat content these products have.

Well, meat from cloned animals should be labelled as such. We live in a free country where individuals have a right to choose what they do or do not wish to consume. Why not do away with the labels requiring companies to disclose the contents in a can of food as well then?

Should humans who were artificially conceived be "labeled" so that people can know before they marry or have kids with them? There is no point of labeling if the cloned animals are no different (agreed clone is different from that).

But the real question is, is the meat, eggs, milk and other animal products are exactly same? Was the testing done by who are neutral to industry or peta-like, rather good, smart scientists. Will the media help the consumer to make sure the test is done by them?

The FDA can say what they want about cloned meat but each living person in America should have that right to choose what they want to place in their bodies as a source of food for living and survival on this planet. Our Government is out of control. We as citizens need to have labels on food products letting us know what we are eating. It should be our choice as the people what we eat.

Jack – Might be more important to clearly label what country the meat comes from, cloned or otherwise. But if our leaders can't stomach that, then let's require labels for Chinese Cloned Cows but not American Cloned Cows.

OF COURSE the FDA should require that labels indicate whether meat is sourced from cloned animals. Until there is absolutely definitive proof that this meat does not cause ANY health problems in whichever humans,or pets for that matter, consume it, the labels should indicate the source. Why take the risk otherwise? Personally, I wouldn't buy meat from a cloned animal based on my own code of ethics, and I am extremely LEFT wing. It IS "icky" as you guys said. I do believe that we are carnivores, but raising animals and cloning them, strictly for consumption, particularly in the way many of these beef companies do raise and house them, is just plain cruel.

The government is pretty quick to push this through. Has there been enough time for offsrping of cloned meet to even be tested? What about consumer thoughts, don't we have a say? There must be some pretty powerful meet industry lobbyists in Washington!

Laura from Narberth PA

LABEL 'EM ALL! As consumers, we have right to know what is in what we are paying for. Now if this food is provided for free and we accept it, then no label required, otherwise... hell yes!!

One more reason that I'll only buy locally grown meat and produce: NO GMO, NO HORMONES, NO DRUGS, OPEN-RANGE FED LIVESTOCK

We all deserve real food, not artificially created/enhanced crap!!

Our government should absolutely require the labeling of cloned meat. Then I can purchase the EXACT SAME quality meat at a lower cost, as I tend to trust the FDA.

Mike
Portland, OR

The cloned products absolutely should be labeled. Give people a choice. We should be able to know what we are eating. Products that are for the outside of our bodies are labeled – is the inside less important. Do these people who are in charge of things take a "funny dumb pill "every morning before they go to work?
Geezz!

Cloned meat is not needed and should not be on the menu. It should be labeled as is in Europe. Let the free market work.

Jack,
Not only would I expect products containing cloned meat be labled, they should be equipped with flashing lights and sirens!

Sounds like the beginning of a horror movie plot! Horrible!

I am totally against eating ANYTHING that the FDA says is good for me! What do they know. Who's idea was it to "clone" in the first place surely the money would be far better spent on feeding & taking care of those in greater need. Thanks for a great show.........keep up the good work – it's getting ugly out here!!
Gail, TN

Government should label; some people find cloning unethical and should have the right to choose if they would like to eat a cloned animal or consume the products of a cloned animal (i.e. milk, cheese etc.). Its time for an open government, that path may cause us to continue to eat the same cow over and over and over again.

Hi Jack,
If the cloned meat is the same as non-cloned then why are they afraid for us to know which meat is cloned? We the consumers should have the information so we can make our own informed choice. How many substances have we been encouraged to consume only to find out later that, whoops, it has major adverse effects! Since we are living in the age of every man/woman for himself, at least give us the information!

Just like drug companies have to identify generics from brand names, we should know if the product is a brand item (the actual item) or a "generic" (or cloned item).
There should not be a problem in telling the consumer what they are putting in their bodies.

Hell yes it should be labeled! Anyone who thinks it shouldn't, (including the FDA), is out of their mind. If almonds that are pasteurized can be labeled raw, when technically speaking they aren't, then I'm sure the FDA isn't going to label cloned meat. Total bull!

We should have the right to judge for ourselves what we want to eat. At the very least, cloned meat should be labeled. I certainly don't trust the FDA to make the right choice as to what is healthy for me. Sad, but true.

Food containing meat or milk from a cloned animal should definately be labled!!!! I want to have the option of buying what I put into mine and my child's body! Really, what has this world come to!

I think that the majority of Americans who would purchase the cloned meat products do not have a clear understanding of the process. "Clone" to an average American implies a science project dripping of chemicals from a lab where all the scientists where white suits.. The fact of the matter is that the meat is exactly the same as the animal it was cloned from. The only slightly scary aspect of this story is the super high efficiency at which the food production service works. But, that's another story. Preserving the "American dream" of obtaining nearly anything for affordable prices will be supported by this idea once the cost of cloning comes down. Cloning costs will without a doubt come down, as with any early prices to new procedures. This proposal will bring another way to bring the economy up in a never ending search to keep costs low.

Yes!! Labeling is required for everything else, why not food containing cloned ingredients? You have wonder why the FDA is suddenly not concerned about the food we eat. As a consumer, I want to know exactly what I'm eating, real or cloned. And since they've started feeding animals genetically modified feeds, I've noticed a difference in the taste and texture of my meats. And I'm not talking about them tasting better, they actually taste nasty. AND they also turn bad faster it seems. I'm not thrilled at all, and will now have to spend more time, and money, to find food that is free of these chemicals.

You have to wonder what the government is up to.

The title of your book was definitely on the mark, Jack. It IS getting scary out there. Actually, it isn't getting scary out there, it IS already scary out there.

Jack...Most of the dingbats who are opposed to cloned animals dont even know what end the corn goes in...Furthermore if you will check most of them are PETA members and this is just another theatre for them to cause problems for the livestock industry.

Jack,
Great question! But who are you kidding? The FDA is a branch of the HHS which is a Cabinet position appointed by the Village Idiot right? So...if they say that cloned food is safe, well then it must be safe. So bring on the carbon copy cows!

Of Course not, a cloned animal is the same as an identical twin. Do we have to label identical twins who attend the same school. Also if they do that we should also label all of our produce that is a result of cloneing. For example all of the Apples and Avacodos just to begin with. Every Avacodo tree in California began from a single Tree. A process known as grafing. This is cloneing of plants. Its the same thing! The only reason consumers would be concerned with it if they think it is morally wrong! There is no way it can be dangerous. Cloning is a very basic procedure with difficult steps. Its only copied DNA.

I want everything to be labeled ... if people really knew what was pumped into their food, air, and water they would be outraged and revolt. That's exactly why the government will be complicit with the corporations to hush it up. Without civilian whistleblowers we'd know nothing. Eat only organic grown food!
How much would that impact our home ecconomy?

No labeling should not be required. People need to grow up on this issue, its the 21st century! Our technology has caught up with food production, we could potentially feed the world with advances like cloned meat. What would be so wrong with solving world hunger?

If there's nothing wrong with it, then why not label it. The public will and should demand this.

Why should we fear cloned meat? Didn't Jesus clone the two fishes and loaf of bread to feed the masses?

I want choice thankyou very much. I have had it with the FDA telling me what's good for me and what's not and they have been wrong many times on drugs that were proven to kill people and then taken off the market. anything for money is their MO....

Yes, Jack, I do think the government should require that food labels specify whether the meat is from cloned animals. And, not just on packages of meat we buy from the butcher shop, but it should go further: to canned foods, processed foods, frozen foods, etc. American consumers have the right to know exactly what they're eating. I think this should be nipped in the bud now. You know how it is - give them an inch and they'll take a mile...

Jack,
I have no problem with cloning so long as my hamburger "clones" into another one on the way home. Two are better than one!
Sharon

Yes it should be required that cloned meat is labelled. Even if the meat is proven to be the same thing, that doesnt mean im not morally opposed to cloning. And i dont really trust the tests that say its the same as eating natural meat. How long has that been tested for now? Have they tested people who eat it compared to people who eat normal food? how do i know its not gonna mutate in my body while its breaking down and give cancer of the colon? Not to mention it messes with the whole equilibrium of nature, theres this 'survival of the fittest' and 'evolution' thing that goes on when beings naturally mate, im pretty sure cloning messes with the progress of the entire world, and i would rather not condone that through purchasing and feasting on it. So yes i want to know to know whether my meat is real or a science project.

The meat should be labeled. We have the right to know what eat.

Of course it should, I can't even believe this would be an issue. Just like food should be marked kosher, organic, and whether or not it was made in a factory that may process nuts. The right of the American people is the right to know, and to make their own educated decisions. Besides, can we really trust this study? Just ask those who trusted the study on DDT and steroids that are pumped into the cattle themselves. I have an idea, lets not label anything and put our soul trust into the FDA, because they've never approved a drug that's been recalled.

Hi Jack:
I think the question is not complete. Knowing always what we eat is very importend but if we look only for a few samples it would be more important to me to know what comes in from China. I think the food we receive from China can do more harm to us than beef from cloned cows. It would do more good for us to put preasure on our government to let us know what comes into the country from China.

Extend the study longer! Seven years is not enough time to tell if eating a cloned animal is dangerous, and to not let the American people know what exactly they are consuming is unacceptable.

Jack, it's a sad truth that the average American doesn't know squat about biology, genetics, or cloning. It's an even sadder truth that we still think ourselves qualified to judge what's safe or unsafe, and are accustomed to throwing expert opinions out the window. 'Cloning', like 'genetically engineered', is just a bogeyman term that folks get worked up about without knowing what it actually means. Cloned meat isn't going to give you cancer or make you sprout tentacles, people! We as Americans should have more faith in our fellow American scientists. They certainly deserve it more than the politicians...

Consumers should have the choice to decide whether or not they want to purchase cloned meat. What if a link between a slow progressing fatal disease and the cloned meats discovered , what would the explanation be" We tested for that"?

For sure, do not forget that most people are religiously inclined to their actions ! People that feel that Science is challenging God with clones and stem cell development , will definitely not be a part of this Clone-Meat-Eating Venture.

We all have a right to know the source of what we ingest. America should not be an exception !!

I don't think we need to know if the beef we are eating is "real" or "memorex."

I think there is already too much information on my labels. For instance my can of chicken noodle soup says it has "cooked mechanically seperated chicken." Did I really need to know that?

Of course it should be labeled. The producers don't want it labeled because consumers won't eat it. Therefore, the FDA and USDA don't want it labeled. They have abandoned their duty to protect the food supply, and instead protect the money supply of big AG companies.

It is criminal that the concience of people who may have a philosophical or religious objection to eating cloned meats should be placed at a lower priority than the pocketbooks of AG companies.

Hi Jack
I am kind of creeped out about this. It could be because it is so new but and woud take a little bit of getting use to. The only thing I do not understand; we can do this but we can't save lives with stem cell? Doesn't make sense to me
Lori McMaster
Whidbey Island Washington Statte

Yes the meat should be labeled. The only reasons the FDA doesn't label foods that are questionable like GMO's and foods from non-hormone injected animals is because the industries that are making these un-real foods fund the FDA testing and studies. If I don't want to eat anything in particular shouldn't I have the right of refusal? Just because the FDA doesn't think it would harm me or my family, every human has the right to determine what types of foods they are consuming. Right?

Labels to allow differentiation should be required so that the consumer has a choice in eating food that comes from natural life (has life energy) versus cloned food that does not have nature's life giving components. The process of growth is different with nature nurturing the ecosystem of our relationship with the planet versus the growth with science that nurtures only more socio-economic differences. While the overt repercussions seems to be that world hunger can be tackled (which can be if we manage our waste products and food processes), problems can arise when cloned food will probably be offered to the masses, whereas natural food becomes pricey and afforded only by the rich. Since this project is framed within the African continent, this is my greatest fear; that and the fact that, in Canada and possibly the U.S., indigenous peoples receive the "generic" drugs and foods, whereas Canadians and Americans receive the choice of which they want.

Besides, the human right to self-determinism requires that the decision of what goes into our bodies should be our choice, not the producers of products.

Yes, they should have to label if the meat is from a cloned animal. The FDA can demand anything. If the companies don't wish to comply, they can go to court; everyone else does these days. However, how would labeling the meat "cloned" differ from the labeling they already do? They don't have a problem labeling "Angus", "Rib-Eye", "New York Strip". If it is as good, label the meat and let the consumer decide.

Assuming the FDA mouthpiece is a Bush clone or in training to be one, like unto his Copy in Chief, he or she still needs oversight. Congress has that duty and ought to be making laws regarding clones anyway. I'm with Wolf on this one; eating a plastic steak sounds icky and melty.

Please.please please label the meat. I won't buy any more meat products until they mark all meat. The first ones to mark their product with "organic and uncloned ", will get my business.

Of course cloned meat should be labeled as such!! what a rediculas notion that it wouldnt have to be. The ONLY reason they would not label it,is that no one wouls willingly buy this stuff.If the meat industry has any brains at all they will be pushing for truth in labeling.Im no vegetarian,but if i cant tell whats cloned and whats not,it certainly will become an option

Hi Jack
How can the FDA ‘give’ such an assurance about the safety of human consumption of cloned animals, or their products??
Labs are only working in producing a few of them. When and how many were tested?
Do you remember the assurance that ‘Agent Orange’ was just a defoliant, safe for the soldiers that handled it? It only took 20 years to recognize that mistake.
How many more illnesses (some still unknown) we have to suffer before somebody sees it?? Same with other genetically altered fruits and veggies. INSANE!!
Adriana
Orlando, FL

Sorry call me traditional, but I want to know what I am eating. I am already perturbed by the hormones and other drugs that are pumped into animals that we consume. know what is in your food brings a sense of security even if there is no risk to the food your consuming.
For those who state that cloned animals will make the food we buy cheaper they are sadly misinformed. It currently cost $20,000.00 to produce a cloned cow. these cows are being cloned to produce well-breed of spring. someone has to pay for that animal and the cost will be transferred to the offspring. This cloned meat will not be cheap for anytime soon.

Absolutely! Food labeling is a must. Anytime that food is altered in any shape or form the public needs to know.

What's the big deal with cloning meat? The republicans have been cloning rats for years. Look at the infestation of rats in the Bush administration, all cloned from king rat, Karl Rove. Why worry about cloning meat, when we have the Bush administration to really worry about.

Doesn't really affect me since I don't eat meat (especially beef-the damn thing is incredibly toxic.) But I don't understand why people get so upset and care about it all of the sudden. You think the meat you eat already is healthy? Think again. Meat from cloned animals is probably not much worse, but I guess they should label it anyway.

Yes I think we should have labels on meat. After all Soilent Green is people.

For cryin' out loud, of course it should be labeled. The all knowing government demands that cell phone accessories and other harmless electronics that look like the original manufacturer's but aren't from the original factory to be labled OEM – but they ignore food??? My guess is they know good and well that labeled clone food would sit on the shelf. I certainly wouldn't go near it. It's just creepy as all heck.

I tend to agree with the FDA. Since the health of farm animals is closely controlled, and a cloned animal has nothing in common with it's DNA donor, except for it's DNA, and it's resulting traits, I cannot envision any possibility of problems cropping up. As long as the source animal was genetically healthy, the clones should be healthy as well. There would be no point in cloning inferior animals due to the enormous cost per animal. Of course, cloned animals should receive the very same level of FDA inspection that we are accustomed to... If we have no issue eating a healthy non-cloned animal, why would we have issues with eating meat that is the same in every way, including genetically? Of course, since it costs thousands of dollars PER ANIMAL, it won't be happening anytime soon, unless they can clone the biggest and healthiest of the species and make it profitable to do so.

First off, I don't see the point of cloning animals for consumption. Are we in desperate need of more cows? Is there a shortage? Secondly, absolutely the government should require labeling of cloned meat and cheese. I would never knowingly eat cloned meat and I don't know anyone that would. Didn't they have to euthanize Dolly because of a progressive lung disease that was absent in the original sheep? Cloned animals are not necessarily the same and any long term effects are still unknown and will be for years. The FDA is just siding with big business. If an overwhelming majority of citizens believe that they should label it, then it should be done.

Hi Jack, I think the solution for the old fashion farmers and you and i is to just label there meat (contains no cloned product).

Consumers should have the choice to decide whether or not they want to purchase cloned meat. What if a link between a slow progressing fatal disease and the cloned meat is discovered , what would the explanation be” We tested for that”?

Jack,
All food should be labeled for exactly what it is and where it came from, that way the consumer has the power to choose. But thats not what happens, is it? Country of origin labeling has been the law for some time now but because money talks and B.S. walks, or gets cloned and fed to you, I still couldn't tell you where the steak I had last night came from. So even if cloned meat labeling was the law it would never be put in place. And isn't cloning not up to Gods standards? Maybe we should let Huckabee ask his god what he thinks.

The FDA is a joke. I do not care how long they have been researching. The American people should have the right to decide if they want to buy clone products or not. I am not a stupid child that needs government to tell me what I need to do. That is what is wrong with this country is that government has their nose in people's bussiness and telling us what we need to do.

Whats the difference. If you eat meat, you eat meat. It's all injected with coloring and preservatives while the cattle are fed anti-biotics and hormones. The root of your arthritis, colon cancer, heart attacks etc. The question will be if the clones are fed and treated with the same disregard for human consumption.
If your concerned at all with health...go vegetarian.
BEEF....ITS WHATS ROTTING IN YOUR COLON!

We are all laughing at your supposed concerns.

...if paper that has been recycled has been labled in some sort of way..........why not the meat we eat......i want to know if i am eating recycled paper or recycled meat........

Of course it should be labelled. People should have a right to know how their industrialized food chain is made. Who do you think the only people who don't want the labels are? They're the companies behind the research, and the companies that stand to benefit from it when costs go down. And YOU won't see any savings on the shelf, it's just more profit. The lobyists is Washington might not be the only ones to fear anymore. Who's interests do you think the FDA is looking out for on this one? Not the consumers! ....And Canada appears to be following the lead of the US on this one. Our Conservative government (like your Republicans) is pretty sad bunch too.

I can't imagine why they don't want us to know that our food is cloned, or genetically modified, or irradiated, or sprayed with the chemical of the day. I think I'll stick to organic, local farmers & back porch veggies.....thank you very much!

While I agree that we should continue with testing (which I believe we will), if they continue to find no difference between natural and cloned products, it seems unnecessary to label it differently. I think it would only create the same psychological reaction that Wolf had, that it's "icky, " and people wouldn't purchase it because of such a reaction.

The meat that we currently receive at our local markets have already been tainted with steroids and other chemicals for preservation and whatever else. I feel that our society has become so unhealthy do to these chemical additives. The cloning of animals as a food supply has really tipped the scale for me. i would definitely like to know and believe that it is a right to know if meats, vegetibles, or fruit come from cloning or some other type of genetic enhancement. This is all done for the sake of money. The U.S. has not ever had a food shortage. Maybe a fuel/oil shortage but, not food.

Without a doubt we should, the FDA should do some work to justify its existence since it has proven many times over that we can not rely on them to keep us safe.

Cloned is "icky"? Cloning refers to how an organism was created. Have you considered where the non cloned animals come from?

Jack, the FDA does not care about the American people. How many times in the past has the FDA told us something is safe, just to end up having Americans dying years or months later as a result?

That was a business decision, Jack. Pure and simple.

How can they have possibly researched the long term affects from consuming this cloned meat and dairy? What's to say this dosn't become another cancer causer 20 or 30 years from now? Like cigarettes. I don't buy it, sounds like some one got a little extra money in their pocket for approving this one. To top it off they wont even lable it? I'll tell you one thing. I'm one step closer to becoming a vegetarian.

YES! The consumer should be provided with labeling allowing us a choice. Further, we need to think ahead. If health problems should arise in the future that can be attributed to our food supply, labeling will be the only way to trace origins.

Labels are costly and in this case are absolutely NOT NEEDED. As you said, Clone means Identical. There is nothing to label. Besides, once a clone is born, tracking it would be virtually impossible, leading to a mis-label trap.

Our beloved FDA recently saw fit to allow food manufacturers to fool the public by declaring food with .5 grams of trans fat per serving the same as those having no trans fats. Why then should we be surprised that they are now planning to allow manufacturers of cloned meat to conceal the origin of the meat from the public.
It would appear that the FDA has long ago lost sight of the fact that they exist to serve the public interest. One can only imagine the "honorariums," gifts and favors that have likely been bestowed on FDA panel members to achieve the current situation.

The FDA seems to only make decisions that benefit corporations and business, NOT the people they are supposedly entrusted to protect. Cloning of animals should not only be banned, but the various chemicals and genetic modifications currently being used should be banned as well. This will be just one more reason for me to become a vegetarian and grow my own food, since I don't trust the FDA as far as I can throw them.

Ah, Jack, you want me to make a decision based on science from this administration? I don't believe a thing they tell me. Do you? They have so corrupted science and gagged the scientists that their alleged research is meaningless.

The FDA does not have the mandate to require labeling on these products since they pose no safety risks nor do the products differ in material composition from normal products. The market will take care of labeling concerns, and producers do have the choice to take part in voluntary labeling. Consumers, if worried may also choose to buy organic.

Do what I do. Buy from a local farm that I visit and can see exactly how the cows are raised. Grass fed, no antibiotics or hormones...and best of all NO CORN. It takes a 1/3 of a gallon of fossil fuel to produce one bushel of corn! Another reason to eat local grass fed beef. To find some go to http://WWW.EATWILD.COM!!

Yes its very important to know what is in our food and that it is from a cloned animal, that is unacceptable to make it ok to eat a cloned animal what is this world coming to!!! Why would you even clone an animal? There is no telling what could happen to us after eating that meat it may have after effects!! its really just not normal

Cloned meat is poison, as are genetically modified foods.
The FDA needs to be abolished and we the people need to take over so we are not being poisoned by the people who only want to enslave us.
Don't you get it people?
Wake up!