Allow Meat to be Labeled “Clone Free”

The FDA has determined that meat and milk from cloned animals are safe to consume. But some people would rather not consume cloned products, thank you very much. A proper answer to such consumer desires is labeling: Meat, milk, cheese etc. can be labeled clone free. From the story:

Although the FDA said last week that it will not require special labels on foods from clones, legislation already introduced in the Senate could force the agency’s hand. Short of that, many consumers are demanding that the agency allow food from conventional animals to be labeled “clone-free”—a marketing move that could dash industry hopes of getting beyond the public debate over clones.

Permission to so label should not require permission.

Of course, the industry doesn’t like such approaches. In our book No Contest: Corporate Lawyers and the Perversion of Justice in America, Ralph Nader and I recount how Monsanto, the producer of bovine growth hormone, sued dairies that labeled their milk BGH free on the basis of unfair competition! It was an egregious example of corporate bullying, that thankfully didn’t work.

Don’t be surprised if the same tactic is tried with cloned products. Too often, large corporations don’t want people to truly exercise consumer choice.