10/19/06 Cloned Products & G.M. Crops

Approving cloned products & genetically modified crops. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. New data indicates milk and meat from cloned livestock and their offspring don`t pose any unique risks to consumers. As a result - the Food and Drug Administration appears ready to endorse the sale of products from cloned animals. And they could make that decision known before the end of the year. FDA`s Chief of Veterinary Medicine Stephen Sundlof says the FDA believes food from cloned animals is just as safe as the food we consume every day. And the farmers and companies producing the cloned animals say consumers can get consistency and quality from cloned animals that they can`t get from conventional breeding. How would feel if you had been growing a profitable genetically modified crop like soybeans for years and then were told you could no longer plant that crop? That is what's about to happen to farmers in one country. Cristina Cionga, agricultural specialist for USDA´s Foreign Agricultural Service in Bucharest, Romania, says she believes that sooner or later, the European Union will start to embrace genetically modified crops. CIONGA: At some point, Europe itself will get to a point where they will adopt the technology. It's clear; there is basically no reason for not adopting largely the technology. It's all beneficial for everybody. It doesn't harm in any way. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. Nuevo Latino, it's the new dining movement sweeping the nation from excusive restaurants to family chains. Nuevo Latino or Latin Fusion is full of the bold flavors and the exotic fruits of Central and South America, Cuba, Mexico and the Caribbean. Think of mouth watering shrimp coated with a crispy banana and coconut batter or chimichurris savored with cilantro, garlic and lime juice and you have got the picture. What about drinks. Well Mexico has its beloved margarita, Cuba has the mojito, (one of my favorites,) now other South American countries want their own signature ink as well their own. In a recent contest to develop a uniquely Nicaraguan drink, a panel of judges determined that the mixture developed by a 67 year old pediatrician Dr. Edmundo Mirananda from the city of Granada was hands down the winner. Named after a tropical bird el macua, the new Nicaraguan cocktail features one part white rum, one part guava juice with a touch of lemon sugar and some ice. The world is flat, but a good drink isn't, so expect el macau's e on your local Applebee's or Chili's drink menu by next summer. Thanks Susan. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.