I don't want to eat cloned animals...

I just came across an article in the NYT published on the 4th of October, and it's entitled: 'Coming to a Plate Near You'. This informs the Americans, but obviously this has repercussions elsewhere, that produce from cloned and genetically modified animals will be made available to us consumers. To us consumers who cannot afford/access expensive organic food. Furthermore, it seems like that food agencies do not intend to regulate this to the core and intend less to inform us about the origins of the animals. Transparency does not seem to be the core element of these sort of campaigns.

I know that we have been consuming genetically manipulated vegetables and legumes for years. I also know that little we can do to escape the effects of these scientific advancements. However, this increases my concern. It does scare me that, while they try to maximise the production from farmers and consumption of us all, and boost the economy, all the genetic manipulations made on animals, are passed on to us and to the nature as well. I wonder if the scientists (those working on those labs companies) have forgotten about the food chain and that thing we refer to as 'ecosystem'. I think in a very simple way: we put a genetically modifies/cloned creature in the world. This creature needs to eat, shag, shit and sooner than later will be killed to feed us. Us, will eat it, and then will shag, shit and die. All of these are actions and reactions in theirs and our bodies and this is deposited back into the nature/ecosystem/somewhere on planet Earth anyway. Moreover, whatever that stays in our body, is transmitted to others, particularly our children. And this is a long-lasting chain.

Whilst I am aware that I may sound like a mad paranoid retrograde person, I have always, perhaps because of my upbringing -my dad is a scientist-, questioned all of those genetic manipulations and the consequences that they may have on everything that is alive. I know, that this food is cheap and accessible to as many as possible. And i know, we have to eat. But, it is so upsetting to know that we as consumers are also part, unwittingly, of the experiments. Do scientists ever question that? Have they left aside the notion of 'preventive' medicine? In my view, these actions are not addressing the consequences.

This image is borrowed from the NYT, 12th of October:



The link for the opinion section is: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/13/opinion/l13fda.html?ref=opinion