In the future, will we eat cloned meat, or one that has been genetically modified? If it depends on the scientists in the USA then yes; only about the salmon they are not sure yet
What meat will be placed on our futuristic dinner plates? A conference of scientists that met this week in the United States declared that food made from cloned animals is safe to eat. However, the meat of animals whose genetic load is different, pose a danger to human health. The scientists also believe that animals created by a combination of cloning and genetic modification raise concerns about the welfare of the animals.
The initiative of the unique conference was the American Academy of Sciences, which responded to the request of the government in the United States. The American Food and Drug Administration is currently busy with the question of whether to allow the marketing of meats and dairy products created from cloned bacteria.
The members of the conference said that there is still not enough data to make it possible to determine unequivocally whether food created by cloning human and animal tissue, such as Dolly the sheep created in the process of "nuclear transfer" is indeed safe. However, older cloning methods such as the division of embryonic cells, as has been done since 1980 in XNUMX cattle herds, seem safe.
The fish are a separate problem. Cloned salmon that start their life cycle on farms, may end up in rivers and seas. In this way, their cloned genetic load may spread in the natural population and create dangerous genetic mutations.
Another concern arises regarding the well-being of the animals: cloned animals that include cattle herds may grow so drastically that they cannot be born naturally.
As for the meat in which the genetic load is changed, the scientists explained that new genes inserted into the genetic load - the DNA of the animals - will cause the creation of abnormal proteins that will reach the diners' bodies after eating them. These proteins may cause allergic reactions and even poisoning. Therefore, the conference concluded that some of the genetically modified meat poses a risk at some level.
