Cloning Cows? How About the FDA?

The FDA has a history of being woefully unprepared when faced with unforseen consequences of "blockbuster" drugs and breakthrough scientific discoveries. A look at the history of the organization reveals that almost all major legislation regarding industry standards and new drug approvals came about as a response to serious side-effects of certain popular drugs, often resulting in the tragic deaths of large numbers of people. While I certainly understand what a difficult task the FDA has (and the budget limitations it may face in fulfilling it), this constant game of catch-up is very risky.

Having said that, the FDA's recent approval of cloned food for widespread consumption has left a sour taste in the mouths of many. While some argue about the ethical considerations involved, I tend to be more concerned with issues of health and safety. (Those morally opposed should first ask themselves whether our current system of livestock maintenance needs a tune-up) According to the FDA, there is no reason to suspect food from the offspring of cloned animals to be unsafe. As their chief food-safety expert put it, "It is beyond our imagination". Read a scifi novel, buddy. The list of things beyond the FDA's imagination wouldnt fit on the great wall.

The reason all drugs have Stage-4 trials, or trials that continue after the drug has gone to market, is to discover any side-effects that were not found during the initial testing process. While pre-market studies are generally conducted with a few thousand participants, the sample size for stage-4 trials is generally in the millions. The predictive power and accuracy of such studies is obviously very high, and there have been a few well documented cases where results from these studies have led to drug recalls.

So isn't it only natural that food from the offspring of cloned animals should undergo these same stage-4 studies? Of course, but only if it is treated as any other prescription drug, with labels indicating that it is cloned. As it stands, cloning and cattle industry lobbyists have persuaded the FDA not to require such labels. Not only will shoppers be unaware of where their meat or milk is coming from, but so will industry experts and the FDA who are responsible for continuing health studies that are necessary to guarantee safety.

The FDA should be a little more aware of its own limitations and take a close look at its history before taking such an aloof position on cloned food. Their decision leaves me wondering whether it is the food we should be cloning, or the FDA. A couple more of those surely couldnt hurt our regulatory practices.