During hunting season we harvest a lot of food that we put in our freezer, or give to friends or needy families. Wild game is very nutritious healthy low fat meat that when prepared right can be very soulful and delicious. These wild animals have not been pumped up full of hormones and in the Midwest may have a diet of fresh corn, grains, acorns and all sorts of vegetation. In the near future more and more people may want to consider at least trying a little of what our ancestors lived on for years because it won’t be long before cloned meat will be introduced to a supermarket near you.
Recently, the FDA approved the use of cloned meat for human consumption. They have determined that meat and milk from the clones and their offsprings is perfectly safe. FDA believes “that meat and milk from cattle, swine and goat clones is as safe to eat as the food we eat every day,” said Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. One of the FDA’s main functions is to protect the food supply and animal health.
The way they produce a clone these days is done by the (SCNT) Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Method. Simplified the nucleus of a donor egg is removed and replaced with the DNA of a cow, pig or other animal. A mild electrical shock makes the egg to grow into an exact copy of the original animal. It cost about $16,000.00 to $20,000.00 to clone an animal. Most of the clone animals today will be for breeding and their offsprings will be introduced into the food system later. Pork will be cloned first because they breed faster and throw a large litter, next will be beef for its meat and milk. Sheep may not be used at all. So when you go to your local supermarket your bacon, ham, lunchmeat, ribs, steak, roast, hamburger cheese, and milk may have come from a cloned animal. Chicken will not be cloned yet because it is not a mammal and its reproduction is different, but they will be working on that.
Some breeders see it as a positive because they can mass produce in a shorter period of time their prize genetically superior animals. They said it takes years and generations to produce champion animals. This way they can speed up what nature does and create duplicates in no time so people can have good meat.
There is quite of bit of opposition against cloning for food sources. The Center for Food Safety from previous data stated that many clones have deformities. So their will be those who will challenge having to eat cloned meat. There are those who want cloned meat to be labeled. The FDA is taking all opinions under consideration and right now they have asked breeders and farmers of cloned animals to wait before introducing this food. The time frame we are looking at is between two to five years but the FDA is interested in the thoughts of the people and so far most people are hesitant in eating clone meats. Many people in some polls and blogs are worried about long range effects of eating these foods and others are concerned with the moral and ethical aspects. Mothers are concerned with giving their children the milk not knowing what it may do to their children. There are some people who said they will eat more vegetables but a lot of the vegetable are being genetically engineered.
It is a good to be informed so that you can make educated decision when you are shopping at the store in the near future for you and your family. Urban American Outdoors will soon be coming out with more recipes for wild game for an alternative or additional food source. Our new website will be up soon with more on cooking your wild game and other useful info at www.uaotv.com
