Cloned Cows and Pigs Are Safe to Eat, U.S. Regulators Conclude
US - Meat and milk from cloned pigs and cows may soon be cleared for sale in the U.S. after regulators determined that eating genetically duplicated farm animals doesn't pose safety risks for consumers.
28 December 2006
2 minute read
The Food and Drug Administration recommended today that cloned animal products be allowed in groceries and restaurants based on studies showing they are almost identical to natural- born goods. Dairy producers urged the agency to delay a final decision for further study, citing polls suggesting Americans disapprove of cloning and won't buy food that comes from a lab.
``People need to trust their milk products,'' said Susan Ruland, spokeswoman for the Washington-based International Dairy Foods Association, in a Dec. 26 telephone interview. ``There's no indication that farmers are rushing to use this technology.''
U.S. consumers spend $90 billion a year on dairy products and $71.2 billion on beef, according to industry estimates. The FDA asked producers to continue adhering to a voluntary agreement to keep cloned animals and their offspring out of the food supply while regulators seek public comment on the report.
The FDA first backed the safety of eating cloned animals in an October 2003 draft risk assessment, citing a report commissioned by the National Academy of Sciences. Two FDA researchers repeated that conclusion in a study in the Jan. 1 Theriogenology journal, adding that cloned meat and milk are so similar to conventional foods they shouldn't be labeled differently.
Source: Bloomberg
``People need to trust their milk products,'' said Susan Ruland, spokeswoman for the Washington-based International Dairy Foods Association, in a Dec. 26 telephone interview. ``There's no indication that farmers are rushing to use this technology.''
U.S. consumers spend $90 billion a year on dairy products and $71.2 billion on beef, according to industry estimates. The FDA asked producers to continue adhering to a voluntary agreement to keep cloned animals and their offspring out of the food supply while regulators seek public comment on the report.
The FDA first backed the safety of eating cloned animals in an October 2003 draft risk assessment, citing a report commissioned by the National Academy of Sciences. Two FDA researchers repeated that conclusion in a study in the Jan. 1 Theriogenology journal, adding that cloned meat and milk are so similar to conventional foods they shouldn't be labeled differently.
Source: Bloomberg
