Terry D. Etherton
On July 15, 2008, The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced its final scientific opinion that food from cloned cattle and pigs is safe, and there are no implications of animal cloning on the environment. Read the rest of this entry »
Terry D. Etherton
In previous blogs, I have written about the fact that the more consumers know about biotechnology, the more they accept it. Thus, educational programs/strategies are important to accurately inform the public. This is widely recognized…but comes with the reality that large scale programs to educate the public about science and ag biotechnology are challenging and costly.
Animal scientists at the University of California-Davis have just released a wonderful and educational movie on Animal Biotechnology. The documentary is narrated and co-authored by Cooperative Extension Specialist Alison Van Eenennaam and graduate student William Pohlmeier. My encouragement is to clink on the above link, and watch the movie!
Read the rest of this entry »
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Contact:
Cassandra Benz
217.356.2426 Ext. 33
Hundreds of Scientists Endorse FDA Risk Assessment on Livestock Cloning
Over 200 scientists have signed a public statement in support of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s draft risk assessment on the safety of food from cloned animals and their conventionally-bred offspring. The sign-on letter was distributed by the Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS). The full text and list of signers can be found at www.fass.org/DefendScience. Read the rest of this entry »
BBC News
Simon Cox
April 26, 2007
Sales of organic produce are booming on the back of alleged benefits to health and the environment, as well as claims of higher standards of animal welfare. But are we being misled by “feel good” claims that don’t stand up to scientific scrutiny? Read what Mr. Cox has to say about the situation in the United Kingdom in this most informative BBC Report.
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has conducted a review that comprehensively compares organic and conventional foods with respect to pesticide residues, nutritional components, naturally occurring toxins, and microbiological safety. A synopsis (copied with Permission) was published in the October issue (Volume 60:44, 2006) of Food Technology. The full-text of the peer-reviewed Science Status Summary was published in the Journal of Food Science (Volume 71:R117-R124, 2006). Read the rest of this entry »
The following was excerpted from the April 11, 2007 issue of The Biotech Advantage.
Dr. A. M. “Tony” Shelton, who is a Professor of Entomology at Cornell University and a visiting scientist at Lincoln University, recently wrote an opinion piece in The Press (Christchurch, New Zealand) that the debate on biotech crops is misleading New Zealand’s public.
This article is a great example of the ongoing misinformation campaigns run by opponents of biotech crops in New Zealand, and throughout the World. Read the rest of this entry »
Terry Etherton
On December 28, 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a draft risk assessment (RA) on whether cloning affects food safety or animal health, and whether food products from livestock should be sold for consumption. The draft, “A Risk-Based Approach to Evaluate Animal Clones and Their Progeny – DRAFT” (visit http://www.fda.gov/cvm/CloneRiskAssessment.htm), presents the FDA’s position. The risk assessment concludes that “….the available data has not identified any food consumption risks or subtle hazards in healthy clones of cattle, swine, or goats. Thus, edible products from healthy clones that meet existing requirements for meat and milk in commerce pose no increased food consumption risk(s) relative to comparable products from sexually-derived animals.” Read the rest of this entry »
Terry Etherton
Animal cloning has generated much public discussion about the need for, and safety of this scientific method. In this Blog I present information that the biotechnology is safe for both animals and consumers. In addition, it provides many benefits which is why so many scientists and livestock producers are excited about the technology being approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Read the rest of this entry »
