Shake-up in Canada's mutant meat rollout fuels US outrage
The plan to roll out cloned meat into Canada's food supply next year has taken a shocking turn, after the initial announcement this month sparked nationwide outrage. Health Canada announced Wednesday that it has 'indefinitely paused' the move after receiving significant input from both consumers and industry about the implications of the proposed policy change.Under the original plan, officials would have scrapped a 22-year-old rule that classifies cloned meat as a 'novel food,' effectively removing pre-market safety assessments and allowing these products to be sold without disclosure.'Until the policy is updated, foods made from cloned cattle and swine will remain subject to the novel food assessment,' Health Canada said.'There are currently no approved foods from cloned products on the market in Canada.'Many Canadians are celebrating the reversal, saying the lack of labeling felt like a breach of trust. But south of the border, Americans are expressing frustration because cloned meat continues to circulate in the US food system, also without labels.Americans argued they deserve to know where their meat is coming from, with others slamming the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for allowing cloned products onto shelves, even calling the agency 'a fraud.' Canada as paused its plan to let clone meat enter the nation's food supply following significant input from both consumers and industry about the implications of the proposed policy changeMany Americans oppose cloned meat due to concerns about animal welfare, food safety and ethical or religious objections.Opponents have also highlighted the high rates of suffering in the animals, including health problems and miscarriages, and the risk of antibiotics or hormones entering the food supply.Ethical objections often include a general unease with the technology and fears that it could lead to human cloning.Even more, cloned meat is not allowed for food production in Europe due to a ban on the cloning of farm animals and the sale of products derived from them.The process to make cloned meat begins with the creation of a genetically identical copy of a 'desirable' animal.That is then bred through normal reproduction, and its offspring eventually enter the food chain as meat, without shoppers having any way to know.Health Canada said it conducted an extensive scientific review of food products made from cloned cattle and swine, working alongside several federal departments to assess decades of research. The agency’s findings concluded that meat and other products from cloned animals and their offspring are just as safe and nutritious as those from conventionally bred livestock. The news has sparked outrage among Americans who are expressing frustration because cloned meat continues to circulate in the US food system, also without labelsThat assessment mirrors conclusions reached by regulators in the United States, Europe, Japan and New Zealand. However, the department noted that despite that scientific stance, it will pause the policy changes.For now, foods derived from cloned cattle and swine will continue to be treated as novel foods, meaning they must undergo a mandatory safety review before being approved for sale. Health Canada said no cloned animal products are currently approved or available on the Canadian market. In the US, however, the FDA approved meat and milk from cloned cattle, swine and goats, along with their offspring, in January 2008.There is no mandatory labeling system in place, meaning American consumers have no reliable way of knowing if the meat or milk they buy comes from a clone lineage.Consumer advocates have raised concerns that limited data and the lack of transparency undermine informed choice.They argue that even though the FDA has deemed cloned meat safe, shoppers are effectively buying products derived from cloning without disclosure.The Center for Food Safety said: 'FDA’s decision flies in the face of massive public opposition to animal cloning, widespread scientific concerns about the risks of eating food from clones, and troubling animal cruelty and ethical concerns associated with the cloning process.'The [agency] admitted in its own risk assessment that a vast quantity of animal clones are unhealthy and would not be suitable for the food supply.'
