When most people think of clones, imagery of an amoral, dangerous, bleak and confusing future is drummed up. Despite what your science fiction horror stories might have told you, advancements in cloning can yield benefits in the production of food.
Since the world was captivated by the successful cloning of a sheep named Dolly, finding profitable and productive ways to clone for the future have been explored. Debates have popped up about human cloning, organ farming and so on. The next logical step is the use of cloned animals for food.
It's a great idea. Too bad the public won't like it when they finally hear about it.
Americans are afraid of science. People decry global warming, evolution and drop out anything that is not easily understood.
The California State Senate currently has a bill to put labels on food and milk derived from cloned animals based on uncertain, unfounded fears.
Soon the Food and Drug Administration will vote to determine if the sale of cloned meats and milk is safe. Some reports and councils have determined the nutrition and quality is perfectly safe for consumption despite its "spooky" origins.
The FDA has already proven that milk and beef from cows via cloning is no different from their natural-born counterparts. It seems though, most deniers didn't seem to care that, for 50 years, cows were technically genetically engineered with growth hormones.
However, cloned food is far more "natural" than genetically engineered crops that are sprouting into use around the world. Corn and soy are two of the largest groups of genetically altered crops. There is no "ick" factor because people never thought of it as any different - all they know is that corn tasted better and it's much larger than it used to be.
Cloned livestock isn't genetically enhanced or changed - it is just a genetic copy of an animal. There is no additional gene to fight off disease. It's just the same thing as the original. Cattle aren't engineered for production of green milk, pigs won't yield more baby back ribs - it will taste and feel like the last cool glass of milk you had days before.
Cloning livestock is already a quickly rising market in the agricultural world because farmers no longer have to gamble with superior males passing down recessive traits to offspring; they just simply clone superior livestock for reproduction.
Even though the cost for a cloned animal is more expensive, it is a fantastic contingency plan if a prized cow or boar were to suddenly drop dead. All you need is some blood or a chunk of flesh and you can have a handful of piglets at a fraction of the cost.
But the public's fearful and naive nature will be the ultimate downfall of the production and integration into society. Because there is absolutely no difference in taste, texture or consistency of cloned milk or meat, there will be absolutely no way to trace them.
On the federal level, it's not required by the FDA for milk producers to put labels on milk or food products for genetically enhanced foods with growth hormones.
To the dismay of manufacturers, some organizations have connected artificial hormones to cancer in humans. It would seem almost hypocritical to force a label on cloned animals and their offspring if crops and hormones in milk don't require them.
Putting labels on milk or meat from cloned livestock will cause an unnecessary division of meats and foods that will attack some very primal and very irrational feelings in people.
It's not dissimilar to the issues raised by reclaimed water for human consumption, so enthusiastically called "toilet to tap" by denouncers of such ideas. The water itself is completely safe for consumption, but the knowledge by people of its origin is a deterrent in a psychological way.
Because of the people's knowledge of its source, it automatically becomes non-preferential, even if there is absolutely no way to know the difference otherwise.
For all we know, despite the FDA ban, there could already be cloned livestock in the food supply or in milk, because there is no possible way to track the sale or slaughtering of them.
Only the cloning firm and the farmer will know. But if the farmer can't even tell the difference, then there is no reason to put that possible deal-breaking detail in a transaction.
As Americans, we have already put most facets of our life in the faith of science. All things that make our life modern are based on the development of science.
To exclude a few facets of it, because of irrational psychological boundaries, is, well, bulls***.
-John P. Gamboa is a pre-journalism junior.
-This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to letters@thedailyaztec.com. Anonymous letters will not be printed - include your full name, major and year in school.
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