FDA Approves Cloned Meat

Posted by Jill Harris Jan 22, 2008

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the entry of meat fand dairy rom cloned animals into the American food supply.

A draft risk assessment regarding meat and milk from cloned animals was published in December 2006 to controversy and opposition by several parties, including some consumers. As it stands, the American food industry is currently being asked to “voluntarily” withhold cloned meat from the food supply, despite its marketing approval.

On its homepage, the FDA seems to be stressing how few of these animals are currently in existence and how little of the food chain they make up. But if cloned meat is still supposedly being withheld, are there other reasons for these cautions?

Currently, the presence cloned animal products would not have to be identified in any way, including on the label. Not being allowed to choose has prompted some consumers to swear off conventional meat and buy only organic products. Bodies that certify organic products have routinely shunned new technologies like GMOs and Nanotech.

Health Canada responded to the 2006 FDA draft with a cautious statement, including

“Because insufficient information was available on clones from other species, e.g., sheep clones, to make a decision on the food consumption risks, the guidance recommends that food products from clones of other species continue to be excluded from the human food supply.”

In Canada, animal clones would be regulated as “novel” foods, subject to additional regulations and safety protocols in the areas of health effects, food safety, feed safety, animal health and welfare, enforcement of standards and regulations, and environmental issues.

For more information, see MeatProcess.com’s release.