Although the US Food and Drug Administration has already stated that cloned animals are safe to eat, there are currently no genetically engineered animals approved as food for human consumption by the FDA. That may soon change. The FDA updated their fact sheet on genetically engineered animals last week and have opened up a forum for public comments on the issue of genetically engineered and cloned animals showing up in grocery stores and on dinner plates.
Some of the issues the public might bring up during this short commenting process (see instructions below) include:
– Labeling of genetically engineered foods and genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
– The environmental impact if a GMO was to escape and interbreed with natural plant and animal stocks
– Ethical, moral and religious implications of genetically engineering life, including animal cruelty issues
– The long-term, as of yet unknown, health effects of including genetically modified foods as a large portion of the human diet
If you would like to share your opinion on the issues above, or any other issue relating to genetically engineered foods, please Click Here and reference Docket ID FDA-2008-D-0394. The period for public commenting on this docket closes on November 18th, 2008. Please hurry and make your voice heard!
PS: Don’t let their intimidating form discourage you. Scroll down to “individual consumer” under the organization type box and list your first and last name under the organization name.
Our Comment to the FDA
As an American consumer I do not want genetically modified or genetically engineered organisms in the food supply. Even if the food was properly labeled, I do not trust either the FDA, USDA or food suppliers to keep 100% of the genetically altered stock out of the “unaltered” food supply by cross breeding.
My reasons for this are many, ranging from personal moral, ethical and religious beliefs to more substantive and justified concerns about the environment (i.e. GMOs escaping to reproduce with the wild stock) and health (i.e. long-term effects of human consumption in large quantities over decades). Other concerns include issues such as: The loss over time of “heritage breeds” and subsequent thinning of the gene pool; the potential for susceptibility to other diseases that are, as of yet, unforeseen; the potential for animal cruelty via genetic manipulation (i.e. featherless chickens to reduce plucking costs or a debilitating increase in meat mass on animals to increase yield).
Please DO NOT approve genetically engineered or genetically modified animals for use in our food supply. I beg you.
However, given the propensity of government organizations here in the US to pay more attention to lobbyists than its own citizens, I have no doubt that you will indeed approve the release of these genetically engineered animals into the food supply. In that case, I urge, beg, implore and insist that you ensure such products are clearly and properly labeled as such.
Kind regards,
Everett Sizemore
Editor – US Recall News
www.usrecallnews.com
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