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Genetically Engineered Animals: On the table, but not on the label!?

As of January 2009, you will now be able to purchase and consume products from genetically engineered animals - without one mention of that fact on the label. Whether you welcome or dread your first GE dish, we all have one thing in common--we won't know when we eat it. Our friends at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have decided that products from genetically engineered animals will not be labeled as such. The FDA says that it will not require labeling of products from genetically engineered animals because those products are not "materially different" from conventional ones. Ironically this ruling follows a recent Consumers Union poll which found that 95% of respondents favored labeling of milk and meat from genetically engineered animals. A spokeswoman for the FDA defended its decision, stating, "...the FDA doesn't require that a pork chop label specify [the breeding method of the pig]." Translation: the FDA has decided genetic engineering is just another way to breed animals and therefore, it doesn't make the meat, eggs or dairy from those animals any different from the meat, eggs or dairy out of grandma's barnyard.

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Upcoming Event: Animal Welfare Approved to Attend 6th Annual American Grassfed Association Conference

We are excited to attend the 6th annual American Grassfed Association Conference! The conference runs from February 6-7, and will be held at in Lexington, Kentucky. Acclaimed author and sustainable agriculture guru Wendell Berry will give the keynote address, followed by Dr. Lee Myer of the University of Kentucky who will discuss successful economic strategies for alternative ranching practices. Animal Welfare Approved has recently announced a partnership with the American Grassfed Association (AGA) through which farmers meeting both organizations' standards may receive both accreditations through one audit. These complementary accreditations will help differentiate farmers from those using only the USDA-defined "grassfed" label, which still allows feedlot confinement and growth hormones. Animal Welfare Approved Program Director Andrew Gunther and American Grassfed Association Director Don Davis will lead a workshop on obtaining these two seals, and walk farmers through the audit and certification process.

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A Healthy Debate

This past Saturday New York City's Greenmarket hosted an informational panel called "The Educated Eater" at First Presbyterian Church. I represented Animal Welfare Approved in a panel discussion on the pros and cons of using labeling as a way to…

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Frank Answers

If you keep up with turkey trends, you've probably noticed a certain word coming up more frequently each year. Now a growing culinary trend, "heritage" turkeys were once the standard at Thanksgiving tables across the United States. With the post-war…

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Go Forth and Multiply

A recent article on farm animal cloning appeared in the British Daily Mail. Following the births of eight offspring from a cloned U.S. milking cow, shoppers in the UK are outraged at the lack of information available and the absence…

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