The government has decided to consider farmers' proposals to sell genetically altered animals as food. Although genetically engineered food is not a new concept (the process is used in agriculture to produce more crops), this is the first time that the FDA has contemplated applying the process to animals. The animals' genes would be manipulated to bring out or change certain characteristics. Faster growing fish, featherless chicken, and mad-cow-resistant cattle are examples of the types of changes that can be made.
The development is incredibly interesting and somewhat disturbing. The FDA will not always require the genetically modified food to be labeled, so consumers may not know if they are eating pork from a reduced-waste producing pig or fish that has grown in 18 months instead of three years.
What do you think of the news? Would you want to eat genetically adapted animals?
CNC Costume National
Stila
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having just read The Omnivore's Dilemma, some of the things the FDA approves is worrisome to me.
1The moment I saw the title of this article all I could think were pigoons, which would make sense to anyone who read Oryx and Crake (great book, btw)
2Ewww gross! That is wrong...messing with nature...
3Is that what a super chicken looks like? I haven't seen that picture anywhere else.
4luckily i don't eat meat so for me it's not as drastic but i think that there NEEDS to be a label on the food if they are allowing it to be sold since they aren't naturally like that. there could be mutations that you need to be aware of and if they aren't required to tell people about it - then it's just not safe in my eyes. i don't know....
5ug, that photo is incredibly disturbing. nature didn't intend animals to be "engineered" to a specification that we set so why would I want to put something in my body that nature didn't create itself? also, what would be the long term impact of consuming engineered food?
6Not well-read on genetically modified food but my first reaction is that animals and plants are being changed without much thorough testing of the results. As an eater, for all we know, a genetically modified tomato may have developed strange properties along the way to becoming larger as a strain -- strange properties such as reduced vitamin content? I don't know.
For animals, we already treat food animals terribly. Only the animal knows what kind of crap life it would be to be a chicken without feathers or a pig who "produces less waste."
7This picture freaks me out! I don't like buying chicken with a few miniscule feathers still unplucked, but chickens running around without feathers is disgusting!
8those poor things! the picture disturbs me. i don't like the idea of genetically engineered animals. we don't know what kind of chemicals/dna switches etc (i'm not a scientist people lol) that they'll be doing to the animals and more than likely they won't tell us. we don't know how humans will react once some of the food is digested and in our systems. . .
i am so close to buying meats from local organic farms that don't engineer their animals. Anyone know where to find a list for CA?
9Soniabonya, check out California's Organic Farms directory: http://www.ccof.org/directories.php
I don't eat meat, but if I did, I certainly wouldn't eat that meat. I believe genetic engineering can be used for better things than harming animals.
10It really disturbs me to see those featherless chickens. I need to make more of an effort to get my meat from the farmer's market. The farmers and ranchers seem to sell their meat at about the same price as the grocery stores anyway.
11this has been going on for years now. I have been reading about this since the 90's. It is very freaky. What is they mix thing together that people are allergic to. Te could get sick or die.
12This picture is HORRIFYING.
In re: to the fast-growing fish - does this remind anyone else of this week's episode of Fringe? Run screaming!
13Ew, not thanks. I'll stick to organic, especially if this goes through (which doesn't allow GM foods).
14please tell me that picture has been photoshopped!
15I would surely consider becoming a vegetarian...
16That picture really makes me want to be a vegetarian. Very very sad.
17I'm not against genetically engineered food per se, but I think I'm going to stay away from meat that doesn't advertise itself as non-genetically modified until the research pans out. I already make my own veggie burgers. TVP replaces ground meat perfectly. Plus, it'll force me to pack a lunch, thus saving money and calories.
18and it stories like this that make it easier to defend my vegan lifestyle. seriously...this is some messed up stuff
19Reading things like this and others like it just makes me not want to eat meat in general. It's disgusting the way animals are treated when they're "growing up" in a food plant or on a farm.
20Truly and utterly disgusting.
Really gross and lacking in nurturance, have and will remain avoiding like the plague!
21Nooooo! Leave my chickens alone!
22Umm, just saying, that picture is very disturbing!!
I think that if we are having such big problems feeding the world, we might need to rethink how we live rather than changing animals to accommodate the growing human population. So no, they shouldn't do this.
But if they did start doing it, the animals shouldn't be altered so that they can't happily live on their own without human help. And they should absolutely be required to tell people on the label!!!!!
23creepy
24dont they get cold and sunburned?
I dont have a problem eating genetically altered meat or GAM for short, as long as its been tested on thoroughly by the FDA to be safe, in the long run as well as in the present.
Maybe they can alter them to have gravy for blood.
25I would never eat it, ever!!!!
26I read that GM altered DNA organisms can live in our stomachs long after we eat it, creating new and incurable diseases.
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