Ottawa Reclassifies Cloned Meat So You Won’t Know You’re Eating It

The hosts open with the Winnipeg Sun report revealing that Health Canada and multiple federal agencies have quietly approved cloned livestock—pigs, cattle, poultry, and even cloned-derived milk—while simultaneously reclassifying these products so they no longer require “novel food” labeling. They argue this amounts to a “sneaky” regulatory maneuver designed to shield the government from liability while keeping consumers in the dark. The hosts stress that Canadians have the right to know what they’re eating, and that the agencies’ language—claiming cloned meat poses “no greater risk”—sounds more like legal positioning than scientific assurance.

They pivot to the U.S. precedent: cloned meat has been sold unlabeled in American grocery stores since 2008. Canada, they say, appears to be following the same path just as households face soaring food insecurity, with reports of Canadians skipping meals to pay basic bills. This creates a scenario where cheaper, unlabeled cloned products could flood store shelves, leaving financially strained consumers with no practical ability to choose between cloned and traditional meat. The hosts emphasize the market implications: if clone products were labeled, many Canadians would opt out—but without labels, price pressure alone may force their hand.

The discussion expands into Canada’s ongoing poultry shortages. Since 2021, more than 400 avian flu outbreaks have resulted in over 11 million birds being culled under federal and CFIA orders. They argue this mass destruction of livestock deepens Canada’s reliance on U.S. imports—particularly since the U.S. already has an established cloned-meat market. The hosts question who truly benefits and suggest that American agribusiness stands to gain the most as Canada struggles to meet domestic demand.

They then examine the controversial BC ostrich-farm case, where birds used in a promising antibody-based COVID mask study were later culled under government orders. The hosts cite reporting that ostriches develop antibodies rapidly and had been used to produce a spray capable of neutralizing “99.9%” of coronavirus particles—technology reportedly piloted in Japanese hospitals. Yet when the farm’s birds contracted avian flu, the government barred owners from the property, denied further testing, and deployed what the hosts describe as a “firing squad” cull, even though most birds had already developed natural immunity. They argue the government’s refusal to study these antibody-rich birds contradicts its claimed commitment to managing avian flu and raises questions about why such research was shut down instead of expanded.

Finally, they connect the cloned-meat approval, the mass poultry culls, and the ostrich-farm controversy to the broader context of affordability and food insecurity. With household debt spiking and Canadians skipping meals, they say the government appears more focused on clearing regulatory paths for cheaper imported proteins than ensuring transparency or long-term food safety. The hosts conclude that while cloning technology may not be inherently harmful, the opaque policy shifts, lack of long-term studies, and simultaneous destruction of immune livestock highlight a troubling pattern: decisions made without public input, scientific clarity, or regard for consumer choice.

https://winnipegsun.com/news/canada-quietly-clears-cloned-meat-to-be-sold
https://nationalpost.com/life/food/cloned-meat
https://www.cp24.com/news/canada/2025/11/07/canadians-skipping-bills-to-afford-groceries-nanos/
https://theijf.org/avian-flu-response
https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/sector/animal-industry/poultry-and-egg-market-information/slaughter
https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/342596/BC-ostrich-farm-developing-antibodies-that-could-put-an-end-to-the-coronavirus
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trans-pacific-partnership-milk-imports-hormones-1.3276739
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/usmca-milk-hormones-1.4849423

0:02 – Canada’s Cloned-Meat Approval: reclassification removes “novel food” label requirement
1:13 – Consumer Transparency Concerns: “folks should know what they’re eating”
2:39 – U.S. Precedent & Pricing: unlabeled clone meat since 2008; affordability pressures
3:39 – Milk & Children: cloned-derived dairy and concerns over widespread consumption
4:21 – Poultry Shortage Context: Canada relying on U.S. imports as avian flu culls grow
5:53 – Who Benefits? U.S. agribusiness advantages as Canadian supply falters
6:32 – Avian Flu Data: 400+ outbreaks and 11+ million birds culled since 2021
7:01 – Ostrich Antibody Study: immune response, COVID mask spray, Japan hospital use
8:32 – Government Intervention: BC farm barred entry; birds culled despite antibodies
9:47 – Scientific Contradictions: why immune birds weren’t used for vaccine development
11:03 – Cloning Risks: genetic uniformity, vulnerability to disease spread
11:56 – Policy Reversal: Canada once rejected U.S. hormone-rich dairy products, now aligns with U.S. norms
14:00 – Food Insecurity: Canadians skipping meals; pricing pressures shape consumer choice
15:39 – Transparency vs Affordability: unlabeled clone meat marketed as a “cheaper option”
16:47 – Closing Argument: policy opacity, safety unknowns, and consumer choice squeezed