Why cloning and selling meat without FDA approval is unethical Research Paper

Why cloning and selling meat without FDA approval is unethical - Research Paper Example Society is struggling with the issues of how much is really known about cloning, how much society really wants to know about cloning and what is there to know about cloning if there was full disclosure (Brizek et al, p.1) Cloning is a highly controversial topic in the world at present. Many people are of the view that cloning should not be conducted among living things including animals since it is against the principles of nature. They are of the view that the natural principles which sustain life on earth would be changed if cloning is accepted as an option for the betterment of life. Most of the religions are also against cloning citing ethical reasons. At the same time, there are many people who support cloning because of their belief that cloning may enhance human life further. In any case, cloning on animals is going on at present and cloned food items are available large in number in stores at present. Cloned food items such as meat, milk etc are entering the American market m ore rapidly at present. Lots of food products are produced out of cloned meat and milk which are used by the public unknowingly. Since the society still reserves severe concerns about the ethics and morality of conducting cloning, many people are of the view that cloned foods should not be allowed to enter the market. Consumers have still many illusions and opinions about the safety of using cloned food items because of the misleading information they received from different Medias about cloned foods. This paper analyses the morality of using selling cloned food items without the approval of FDA. One of the study conducted by FDA pointed towards the increased practices of cloning by food companies, as well as the limited public knowledge and information of the practice (Brizek et al, p.4). In other words, people are getting cloned foods from stores at present without their knowledge. No food manufacturers are putting any labels on cloned food items in order to differentiate it from other normal food items. Consumers have the right to know about the origin of the food they are purchasing. By selling cloned foods, food companies are cheating the public which is unethical. If all the consumers have no problem in using cloned foods, then there is no necessity to put labels on cloned food items. However, majority of the public have many concerns about using cloned foods and under such circumstances selling of cloned food without labels is unethical. â€Å"In January of 2008, after results of numerous studies proving the scientific safety of food and food products from cloned animals or genetically modified food crops, the FDA declared that it would not require any special labeling on such foods† (Brizek et al, p.6). Even though many of the tests conducted by FDA and other authorities with respect to the safety and security of using cloned foods revealed positive results, it should be noted that these tests cannot be 100% reliable. Most of these tests analyse s the fat or acidity levels of the cloned and normal foods. Even though, some studies found slight differences in the acidity levels, all the other parameters of cloned foods and normal foods remained almost same. However, it should be note that these tests cannot predict anything about the possibility of genetic contamination among cloned foods. Cloning is a process which relies heavily on genetic engineering. The defects of genes used to make cloned foods cannot be identified easily. In other words, it is difficult to test the genetic components involved in cloned food items. According to one FDA official, although others disagree, cloned animals are more likely to have birth defects and health problems when they are young, but after 50