FDA says cloned animals safe to eat

Taking a long-awaited stand in an emotionally fraught food fight, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Dec. 28 released a 678-page analysis concluding that milk and meat from cloned animals pose no unique risks to consumers. The FDA currently does not plan to require distributors or manufacturers to label products that contain milk or meat from cloned animals. Sheep were not included in the list as the agency did not have the evidence to prove that it was currently safe to eat, an official said. The decision, subject to change after a 90-day period of public comment, stops short of approving the sale of food from clones and leaves in place, for now, a long-standing government request that farmers keep their clones off the market. However, there is no mechanism in place to ensure compliance with the "voluntary moratorium." The decision represents a milestone for the handful of biotechnology companies that see cloning as a welcome opportunity to sidestep sexual reproduction and instead mass-produce the nation's meat-and-milk producing animals. "The higher-end breeders are going to start signing up and taking advantage of this," said Mark Walton, president of Austin-based ViaGen, which has produced about 250 cloned cattle and pigs in preparation for what the company hopes will be a robust market in farm clones. "They've been interested, but they've been skeptical that we'd ever get the regulatory process dealt with." The decision was heavily criticized by consumer groups in the US, including the Consumer Federation of America, which said the FDA had not investigated the safety, ethical and religious issues surrounding biotechnology–the science behind cloning–to a sufficient extent. Other critics are concerned about the welfare of the animals themselves, many vowing to fight the new momentum toward approval. "This is a lose-lose decision for consumers and the dairy industry," said Joseph Mendelson, legal director at the Center for Food Safety in Washington, which has petitioned the FDA to regulate cloned farm animals one type at a time, much as it regulates new drugs. "The FDA should regulate this more closely," added Mendelson. "While the FDA says no one has proved there is any danger from clones, the burden should be on the FDA to prove convincingly that they are safe." Release of the draft risk assessment was delayed for years, in part by a coalition of big-name dairy companies concerned that the "yuck factor" surrounding cloned animals might tarnish milk's image and undermine sales. Surveys have consistently found that a majority of consumers are wary of food from clones, with many saying they would avoid it. A poll by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology last year found 64 percent of US citizens uncomfortable with the idea of eating food from clones. The life of Dolly the Sheep, the world's first cloned animal, did little to ease those concerns. Dolly suffered from arthritis and died at a relatively young age for a sheep in 2003. Research has since indicated that clones are born with more deformities and other complications. Although there are currently several hundred cloned cattle in the US, the cost and complexity of cloning–planting an egg from a donor animal into the uterus of another animal–means it is likely to be years before the manufacture of cloned meat products becomes widespread. The agency will issue its final decision next year following a public consultation on labeling, but said that it did not have the authority to force manufacturers to make clear that the product was cloned if the food was indistinguishable from naturally-reared produce. Some companies are already planning ways in which to optimize their opposition to using modified foods. A spokesman for Ben & Jerry's said it planned to make clear that its products would not include produce from cloned animals. The decision was also welcomed by manufacturers lobbying to distribute cloned meat in the UK. Despite the ruling, it was reported that importers of US products containing cloned animal produce would still have to gain the approval of both the UK government's Food Standards Agency and the European Union.