By now you’ve probably heard the news that Dean Foods, the largest dairy company in the U.S., has pledged not to use milk from cloned cows in any of its products, conventional or organic. Sam Fromartz, the organic-food-biz expert who originally broke the story last week on his blog Chews Wise (and wasn’t initially credited in the AP’s piece), predicts that Dean’s move will put a damper on the future of clone-derived food in the States.
Of course, the dairy giant hasn’t said anything about milk from the offspring of cloned bovines, and Fromartz acknowledges that this is a complicated and important issue. Does this mean we’ll start seeing cow-laundering—labels declaring a product clone-free, without mentioning that the “clean” product comes from clone ancestors—in the coming years? Actually, selling the offspring is probably the most economical way to bring clone-derived meat and milk to market in the first place.
I’ve heard that there isn’t a threat of cloned animals getting into the grocery stores yet because it’s not economically feasable. Wonder if this pledge from Dean Foods is more in line with the dollars than the ethics. Either way I’m glad to hear it. A little transparency would be nice so the average shopper can make informed decisions.