Last Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration issued its long-awaited regulations on genetically engineered animals. Its conclusion, after considering genetically altered animals? Consumer labeling will not be required for genetically engineered food.
Currently, genetically engineered animals are being developed for the market, but so far none of the animals have been approved by the agency for marketing. Prior to entering the marketplace, the animals themselves will need to receive FDA approval, and be labeled as genetically altered. In contrast, food products derived from these animals will not need to be labeled.
Proponents of the practice argue that it will create livestock that grow faster, produce less toxic waste, are resistant to disease, and are generally healthier to eat. But opponents argue that messing with Mother Nature could have unintended consequences, such as altering the genetic structures of animals.
What do you think of this ruling? Do you think the Food and Drug Administration has made the right decision?
Polo Ralph Lauren
Michael Kors
1928 Collection
I really dont care either way.
1I care in a big way! It's wrong that they won't label this type of thing. I seriously doubt they know what type of long-term risk this may cause to either the animals or people who consume them. Scary as hell.
So glad I get my meat from trusted local farms.
2I don't like this decision. I agree with Smacks - scary as hell!
3I'm completely ok with genetically engineered animals or other food products, but I like to be properly informed about the food choices I make. I think this is a bad call by the FDA.
4I don't really care. I'd eat either one, so it doesn't bother me.
5Can they alter these animals to not be aware?
Honestly, it doesn't get much further away from "Mother Nature" than factory farms, so I don't know why people would complain. We're already eating gross, scary, stuff.
6Foxie, to not be aware of what?
7Whats?!?!?!?!?!
8I'm going veg soon. -_-"
this is a tricky one. sometimes they say that ignorance is bliss - and that could be a good thing. i feel like if i know that something's been altered, then i worry about what the effects could be on me since it's not natural, but there have been studies done that say that nothing will happen, so you worry for nothing. on the other hand, if you don't know then you don't worry and then things are great. so it's kind of either way.
9To not be aware. Period.
I think I've read something before about engineering animals that only have brain stems.
10I do NOT want to put some lab made meat into my body. We have a right to know where our food comes from! Ma nature ain't gonna like this.
11This creeps me out a bit :-/
12I gave up meat when I found out they were doing this a year or two ago. This freaks me out to no degree. I'm surprised people are not outraged over this!!!!
13ashopaholic - Well, I'm also surprised that peoples are not outraged about the facts behind fast food nations. Soo disgusting.
14I'd want to know, definitely. I agree with you Smacks83.
15this is terrible. it feels like no foods will be safe to eat anymore. thankfully we can tell when our fruit and veg is organic. but hopefully places that don't use genetically modified anything will proudly say so on their packaging and we can just buy things that state that they don't. uhhg
16I'm wondering about the people that said they don't care. This whole situation almost reminds me of when things like Crisco and those veg-oil fake butters came out. People (including a lot of nutritionists and such) where all touting its benefits and how much better for you it was. Then a few years go by, heart disease and strokes and obesity and artery problems are up up up and suddenly its "Oh,wait. You know what? This is Trans Fat and it's going to kill you. My bad".
Seriously, what exactly is so wrong in the foods that nature has been making for longer than we can even fathom?
And no offense Foxie, once again not everyone eats the gross junk that comes from factory farms. And not everyone who eats meat supports these kinds of business practices.
And for all vegetarians who say they don't mind, be careful because this is a slippery slope. Ok, so what if they can soon create "food products" with no capacity for pain/suffering/thought/ect? Will it still be considered an animal? It doesn't have the same things that make other animals animals. So then what? Since it is no longer considered an animal, can it be used in your veggie-burgers and such since technically nothing had to be "killed" but rather it was just a "food-product" that was processed. What then?
I think this issue impacts all of us, omnivores and vegetarians alike.
17Considering that the vast majority of meats come from factory farm, I think my statement was totally in line. So yes, most people who eat meat support and pay for those business practices.
Veggie burgers are made of veggies, so no, they wouldn't be in veggie burgers.
18I'm sure they could come up with a special label so us veg*ans could still avoid nasty meat.
First off, again no. Not everyone. Yo make these general statements that "everyone" who eats meats supports this, that or the other. No, you scope just may not be wide enough (this is a big reason why I stopped my support of PETA back when i was vegetarian, these generalities aren't fair for anything or anyone on any topic). And again in my HYPOTHETICAL statement about it not being considered an animal because everything that makes them an animal has been genetically removed, then how are you to say for sure it won't find it's way into vegetarian meat substitutes since again it doesn't have the attributes that make it into an official animal product. There are a lot of vegan/vegetarian products I used to have to look out for because the carmine coloring was derived from beetles. They didn't put that on the label. It wasn't labeled "beetle by-product" it was labeled "carmine" or "caramine".
And for the record, how does my buying meat from a local, organic farm that slaughters maybe 4 animals a day in their own facilities support these huge factory farms when they slaughter perhaps thousands of animals daily some 500 miles away from my local farm?
Let me ask you, if you eat eggs and dairy, where exactly does it come from (local contented pastured and grassfed animals or huge processing facilities with labels like organic and "free range" which mean nothing when it comes to animal welfare) And if you don't eat dairy/eggs, where do the ingredients in your meat substitutes and various vegan concotions come from? Small family owned farms that are areful with how they treat the land or big corporate "farms" that tear down whole areas (and forests)to grow one crop and deplete their soils until they need to move on to more land?
Look into what really goes on before you make such sweeping generalities.
19I didn't even read your post after you rambled on about generalizations.
I didn't say "everyone" so spare me.
20If you don't read, then why respond to my post?
Anyway, the topic of this post was about genetically engineered animals not being labeled as such and I have reponsed that I think it's an awful idea. I'm done going off topic. If you want to chatter on about how essentially your view to things is the only one then please, by all means go on.
21It doesn't bother me personally to eat genetically modified crops, so I suppose I don't have a problem with genetically modified meats, either. I do think they should be labeled, though. I mean, some people don't want to eat food with meat in it or wheat or whatever, so we have to put all the ingredients on the label. It should be the same idea.
22I am not a fan of this ruling just because I would like to know what I might be eating. Long term studies have not been done so I, personally do not feel 100% safe eating this meat.
23I can see the truth to both opinions here. I know I could give a try to the 'chicken' that comes from mating a turkey with a rooster, but I would certainly not try pig's meat with mice genes...
24Anyway consumers do have the right to know so they can make their decisions.
I'm on the fence, it's kind of creepy...but does it really change the structure and the taste? Probably not, so why does it matter. I just hope they know for sure if there's going to be long term effects.
25Just go vegan and you won't have to worry about it! Even if you just go veg, you might be getting your milk and eggs from a genetically engineered animal. It is very scary that we don't know what is going on behind the scenes. I'm the only one in my family that doesn't eat meat so I am wondering if it will bother them to know that they could be eating a science experiment!
26ah! this is really scary!
27now I'll stay in touch..
28well.. it's like I said!
29hm... good one ))
30Tabloid posted: "Whats?!?!?!?!?!
I'm going veg soon. -_-"
Goig VEG don't mean anything either because they inject VEG with animal protiens etc and they want put a label on your VEG burger that has pig protiens injected in it.
31Google: Meat and vegetable protein blends for engineered foods
The same rule applies and your vegetables will have meat protein in them.
PEOPLE WE CAN'T RUN WE HAVE TO FIGHT THIS. I am a Deist Intelligent Design Scientific Researcher and let me tell you people something. This world is headed for destruction and I SEE IT! I'm doing everything in my power fighting this but let me tell you the root of the problem stem from.
THE THEORY OF EVOLTUION because they believe all species was once the same species thus enabling them to mix different species DNA in foods and in G.E.M (Genetically Micro Engineered Organisms) they release into the environment causing things like the Swine Flu Etc.
I hate to tell you but the source must be up-rooted to this problem and that's the THEORY OF EVOLTUION being taught in schools and scientist use as an excuse to genetically engineer foods.
SUBJECT: MACRO-EVOLUTION needs to come under fire people and I mean hard.
32I had to up-date my profile because I know some of you people don't like Anonymous posters and would actually like to know who you are talking to. I am the one who posted the last two posts and if you have ANY question or if you would like for me to go in dept with you, I will be more then happy. I study the human race, biological life and the eco-system we live in so if you have any questions please feel free to ask me, I promise I want bite.
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