Animal clones approved for human food

The federal Food and Drug Administration has concluded that meat and milk from clones of cattle, swine, and goats, and the offspring of clones from any species traditionally consumed as food, are as safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals, the agency announced on Jan. 15. There was insufficient information for the FDA to reach a conclusion on the safety of food from clones of other animal species, such as sheep. The government's decision drew criticism from the meat industry, farmers, animal protection groups and some lawmakers. FDA issued three documents on animal cloning outlining the agency's regulatory approach -- a risk assessment; a risk management plan; and guidance for industry. "After reviewing additional data and the public comments in the intervening year since the release of our draft documents on cloning, we conclude that meat and milk from cattle, swine, and goat clones are as safe as food we eat every day," said Stephen Sundlof, DVM, PhD, director of FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "Our additional review strengthens our conclusions on food safety." The FDA says an animal clone is a genetic copy of a donor animal, "similar to an identical twin, but born at a different time." "Cloning is not the same as genetic engineering, which involves altering, adding or deleting DNA; cloning does not change the gene sequence, the agency explains. The National Farmers Union, with a membership of 250,000 farm and ranch families in all states, called the FDA decision "a bad idea." National Farmers Union President Tom Buis said, "In the face of ever-increasing food safety concerns, it is troubling to see the FDA approval of products from cloned animals to be sold to the public, when questions surrounding the health risks, legal implications and ethical concerns remain unanswered." "The economic implications of introducing products from cloned animals into the marketplace could be potentially devastating for family farmers and consumers," Buis said. He said there is no data to suggest any consumer demand for such products. So that consumers could know what they are buying, Buis urged Congress to pass the Cloned Food Labeling Act and direct the FDA to take the necessary steps to label cloned food products. The FDA says it is not requiring labeling or any other additional measures for food from cattle, swine, and goat clones, or their offspring "because food derived from these sources is no different from food derived from conventionally bred animals." The act to label cloned food was introduced by Senator Barbara Mikulski, as Maryland Democrat, who today scolded the head of the FDA, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, for the agency's cloned food decision. "The FDA has acted recklessly and I am profoundly disappointed in their rush to approve cloned foods. Dr. von Eschenbach, an experienced and respected scientist, should have known better. He said he is committed to reforming food and drug safety based on science," said Mikulski. "Just because something was created in a lab, doesn't mean we should have to eat it. If we discover a problem with cloned food after it is in our food supply and it's not labeled, the FDA won't be able to recall it like they did Vioxx–the food will already be tainted," she reiterated. "The FDA has refused to listen to their own advisory board, to Congress, and to the American people, who pleaded for more scientific and economic research before allowing cloned food on US shelves. What's the urgency? We had time to do the work -- now the FDA has rushed into a decision that could have dangerous consequences. The long term effects of these products are still unknown and could be harmful to consumers," Mikulski said.