FDA wants to approve milk & meat from cloned animals to be sold as food

[angelsmama]

I just got this in my e-mail, pretty gross :-\. Go sign the petition, could use all the signatures it could get.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/954622138

[VdogLover]

I could not get the link to work...

I find it far more frightening and gross the hormones and chemicals they add to our meat and milk then I do getting the products from a cloned animal.

[angelsmama]

try this

www.thepetitio nsite.com/takeaction/954622138



Modified to disable smileys so link would work :)

[Nicole]

Hmm....

Yeah. Not to start an argument...its just that this is a really interesting issue. I would argue that this much effort should be put into working on the big factory farms we have in this country of not cloned animals.

See, the thing is, its so profitable to produce 94381734981364 083746 chickens, cows, hogs, etc. the "natural" way and so expensive to clone animals that this doesn't seem to me like much of an issue. When you can have a barn that contains 9487398472 hogs that you got for little to nothin' why would you spend all of that money to clone an animal?

The big problem (as I see it) is that Americans continue to clamor for cheap meat, cheap milk, cheap everything. So, in order to keep our meat/milk/everything prices cheap, farmers can't have the traditional farm. As I see it, its the fault of the American consumer, not the farmer or these uh..Cloners.

If we all eliminated or even reduced our consumption of animal products, we'd be in a lot better shape. And I mean that figuratively and literally.

Anyone else have any thoughts about this?

[dohertyswissy]

Anyone else have any thoughts about this?

hahahah ... you KNOW I totally have thoughts on this.  Over consumption of animal products is killing the small American farm, killing the quality of our food, and killing the environment.  I've read two really good books about this recently and its just mind boggling.

Hey Jenn - What are the 2 books you read?  I'd be interested in checking them out.

Also, is "wonking" a technical term?   

[dohertyswissy]

Anyone else have any thoughts about this?

hahahah ... you KNOW I totally have thoughts on this.  Over consumption of animal products is killing the small American farm, killing the quality of our food, and killing the environment.  I've read two really good books about this recently and its just mind boggling.

Hey Jenn - What are the 2 books you read?  I'd be interested in checking them out.

Also, is "wonking" a technical term?   

BWAHAHA ... why yes.  Wonky is in the Jennictionary

One book is called The Omnivore's Delimma, by Michael Pollan.  It is about all differnt kinds of food, and way awesome.  The other is called The Story of Corn, by Betty Fussel.  Its about um, corn.  And things of that nature.  Both fascinating books about things you never think about.  Yes, I am a dork.

Cool. Also, do you have any advice about switching to organic and primarily vegetarian? 

Yes you are a dork... I should know... I'm the girl who spent Saturday night watching a documentary on this history channel about Eastern Religions. 

(Yah, yah.. I have just TOTALLY hijacked this thread)

[Anakalia]

Well, I must be a dork to then, because those books sound very interesting to me!

I don't agree with anything the Factory Farms are doing, all the growth hormones, and antibiotics can't be good for human consumption, there has got to be some kind of "side effects".  I no longer eat meat but my family does and they purchase meat from a few small farmers, not grocery stores. I really think that's the better way to go.  For years my grandparents ran a small hog farm, that was how they made a living, and it just got way to expensive for them to run, now they just grow corn and soybeans, it's really sad what the "Factory Farms" are doing to the small rural farmers, IMO. Little off the topic of eating clones but I agree with Nicole, it would be too expensive.

[chaosndestruction]

My family raises their own beef and pork...and not only is it wayyyy better for you (no hormones or radiation....) but it TASTES way better too!

[dohertyswissy]

That is really awesome, Bri.  Its great to actually know what goes into your body, instead of just the prepackaged crap.

Andi -- you should really read the Omnivore book.  The whole first part is pretty much about corn and soybean farmers in Iowa.  I thought about you like the entire time that I was reading it!  You'd like it.

Heather I have TONS of tips, tricks, info and recipes on vegetarian and organic foods.  Just let me know what you want to know and I'll help as much as I can!  If I get to come visit, I'll even bring fun cookbooks.  We can make healthy dinners ... and think drink lots of healthy, um, booze.     

Girl... give me it ALL. Everything I could possibly need/want to know!  I bought a couple vegetarian cookbooks, it's just hard to figure out how to put it all together as a meal.  I need some tips on how to shop for organic stuff too, without totally blowing my budget. 

Booze is healthy!!  Yeah... red wine is good for your heart...and you know what they say...if a little is good .. a lot must be better, right??

[Nicole]

OOH GIRLS!

I have a lot to add! Ok, first! I just bought a book. Its called...6 Arguments for a Greener Diet. (by Michael F. Jacobson, Pd.D.)

I haven't started it yet, but I think its going to ROCK.

Also...as far as organic. Don't worry if not EVERYTHING you buy is organic. Going organic is a good starting point. But think about this...say you're going to buy tomatoes. You are faced with this choice. Organic tomatoes from Chili, or conventional tomatoes from um...North Carolina. (Ok, say that Heather is making this choice) Which do you buy? Yeah, the organic was grown without pesticides, but they had to travel all the way from Chili, using more fossil fuels and stuffs, and they probably weren't picked when they were ripe, yaddah yaddah.

I'm saying that its more complicated a package than just organic. It takes SO MUCH THOUGHT to eat right these days!

Anyway, um...sorry to jack the thread, Cori!!!

I think that a big key is to buy local. Has anyone heard of Community Supported Agriculture?! Its SO cool! Its where you pay a part of a farm's operating expenses for a season, and you share in the harvest. Its kind of like buying stock in a local farm. I'm going to do it this year. Its like, $600 for the season (june-november) and every week you get a big box of produce and stuffs from the farm! You have to drive out and pick it up, so you get to see where it was grown and all of that. So, you're supporting local agriculture and also sharing in the risk if its a bad year, which helps small family farms stay going. I think its so cool!

What a great topic! I love this!

[Nicole]

Nerdy tree huggers ROCK! hahhaa! That's why I love you girls!

[dohertyswissy]

OOH GIRLS!

I have a lot to add! Ok, first! I just bought a book. Its called...6 Arguments for a Greener Diet. (by Michael F. Jacobson, Pd.D.)

I haven't started it yet, but I think its going to ROCK.

Also...as far as organic. Don't worry if not EVERYTHING you buy is organic. Going organic is a good starting point. But think about this...say you're going to buy tomatoes. You are faced with this choice. Organic tomatoes from Chili, or conventional tomatoes from um...North Carolina. (Ok, say that Heather is making this choice) Which do you buy? Yeah, the organic was grown without pesticides, but they had to travel all the way from Chili, using more fossil fuels and stuffs, and they probably weren't picked when they were ripe, yaddah yaddah.

I'm saying that its more complicated a package than just organic. It takes SO MUCH THOUGHT to eat right these days!

Anyway, um...sorry to jack the thread, Cori!!!

I think that a big key is to buy local. Has anyone heard of Community Supported Agriculture?! Its SO cool! Its where you pay a part of a farm's operating expenses for a season, and you share in the harvest. Its kind of like buying stock in a local farm. I'm going to do it this year. Its like, $600 for the season (june-november) and every week you get a big box of produce and stuffs from the farm! You have to drive out and pick it up, so you get to see where it was grown and all of that. So, you're supporting local agriculture and also sharing in the risk if its a bad year, which helps small family farms stay going. I think its so cool!

What a great topic! I love this!

Great example Nicole!  I didn't even consider that buying local produce can sometimes be a better choice than solely looking for the organic label! 

I'd heard of the CSA program.  I'm spoiled here because we have a great farmer's market around here in the summer.  Sometimes I can be slack about going there instead of the grocery, but I am (obviously) turning over a new leaf.  The food is SOOO much better, in season, and way less expensive, since I can buy it direct from the farmers!

Keep it coming guys!!  I need all the info I can get!!  This stuff is really interesting!

Definitely hitting the bookstore tonight!!

[Nicole]

Oh, man. I got totally spoiled in Bloomington! We had an AWESOME farmer's market! I'm going to miss that this year. But, I think that the CSA will be a good fill-in.

There's a good farmer's market in Chapel Hill, right?

[dohertyswissy]

Oh, man. I got totally spoiled in Bloomington! We had an AWESOME farmer's market! I'm going to miss that this year. But, I think that the CSA will be a good fill-in.

There's a good farmer's market in Chapel Hill, right?

There is one in Raleigh, right near the fairgrounds, and one in Chapel Hill. 

Now.. get your booty down here and let's go shopping!

[Nicole]

I say we have a BPO meet-n-greet-farmer's market hop!

WHOOOOH!