FOR some people, beef stamped “Guaranteed BSE-free” would have a strong
allure. There’s a chance that it might save their lives—even if it’s an
exceedingly slim one. But how much would shoppers be willing to pay for that
peace of mind? Several research teams are hoping the answer is “a lot”. They’re
using genetic manipulation and cloning technology in a bid to create cows that
are devoid of the prion gene (PrP), the deformed version of which causes BSE in
cattle and variant CJD in humans
(see “Eat me, I’m not mad”).
So just how big a benefit…
