Dear Friend, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced its approval of meat and dairy products from cloned animals amidst widespread concern among scientists and food safety advocates. Despite recent consumer opinion polls showing that most Americans do not want food from cloned animals, cloned milk may soon be sold, unlabeled, in grocery stores across the country, and cloned meat will be next. Scientists say that clones may be inherently unhealthy, with potentially harmful consequences for animal foods derived from clones. Moreover, animal cloning is a cruel technology that results in needless animal suffering. The first cloned mammal was the famed sheep Dolly. But after the hype, few followed the story of Dolly?s demise. Just six years old when euthanized (sheep of Dolly?s breed generally live to 11 or 12), Dolly suffered from arthritis and lung disease usually seen in much older animals. Sadly, Dolly is not unique among clones. Leading cloning scientists say clones are likely to carry genetic abnormalities, and the lead scientist responsible for creating Dolly has warned that even small imbalances in a clone?s hormone, protein or fat levels could compromise the safety of its milk or meat. It appears that once again the FDA has seemingly ignored scientific and public concerns and fast-tracked a decision for the benefit of a handful of cloning companies. It?s time for FDA to put the health and welfare of Americans over corporate profits. FDA needs to hear from as many of us as possible so meat and milk from animal clones doesn't show up, unlabeled, on our supermarket shelves! Would you please send a letter to FDA to stop this risky, unnecessary and cruel technology? It only takes a minute, and you can take action online through the Center for Food Safety at http://ga3.org/campaign/Cloning?rk=LdLtb4M1F4DOW *************************************** Powered by GetActive Software, Inc. Member Relationship Management Solutions That Recruit, Engage, and Retain (tm) http://www.getactive.com *************************************** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/