FDA to Beef Industry: Send in the Clones

They laugh alike, they walk alike, at times they even talk alike…Photo Illustration: iStockphoto

The FDA is expected to declare meat and milk from cloned livestock safe to eat next week. So far, media coverage has been hilarious. Whole Foods has already issued a statement that includes our favorite new phrase: “Whole Foods Market is committed to providing consumers with clone-free products.” And the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news, penned this gem: “The meat industry is more bullish on cloned products than the dairy industry.”

But what about those cloned animals? Is Grub Street opposed to them? Not at all! The great problem of selling meat in restaurants is that, as in dating, there is no way to guarantee that you’ll get someone (or someone’s aged carcass) that you really like. So an ideal solution is to find one that you know is great and clone it. This isn’t new in the meat business: At the best ranches, the genetics are so controlled that the cows are practically clones, and Primehouse NY serves meat sired by one tireless bull. Cloned meat merely takes this risk minimization to the next level. If clones are as safe as the government claims, that means that Americans can start eating great prime beef again. Send in the clones!

Cloned Livestock Poised To Receive FDA Clearance [WSJ]