Despite FDA’s blessing, cloned meat not set for shelves soon

January 31, 2008

Read and leave a comment at: http://www.journalrecord.com/article.cfm?recid=85775 Despite FDA’s blessing, cloned meat not set for shelves soonby Brian BrusThe Journal Record January 31, 2008 OKLAHOMA CITY – The Food and Drug Administration’s recent finding that food from cloned cattle, swine and goats is safe for consumption is likely to have minimal short-term effect on producers and consumers, Oklahoma industry experts said. “Initially, the consumer’s not going to see an impact from cloned animals for some time,” Oklahoma Pork Council Executive Director Roy Lee Lindsey Jr. said Tuesday. “You’re not going to see this in your meat case any time soon. “All the science says there is no difference in the qualities of the meat between a cloned animal and one that is not. So

science tells us there are no issues,” he said. “But we recognize that the consumer will be a little bit wary of the concept, at least initially. So we are years away from having any product that’s ready to go to market, because of the prohibitive cost and that initial market uncertainty.” After years of consideration, the FDA earlier this month determined that no special labels are needed to identify cloned livestock products because the animals’ biology is no different from those conventionally bred. Animals that grow from cloned cells have the same proteins, lipids and other macromolecules that comprised the original, and products derived from such animals are digested no differently from other foods. The office released three documents on cloning that outlined its regulatory approach. “Extensive evaluation of the available data has not identified any subtle hazards that might indicate food consumption risks

in healthy clones of cattle, swine or goats,” FDA officials said, confirming the office’s preliminary findings from two years ago. Officials also said that moral and ethical implications of using closing technology are beyond the FDA’s purview. That will be a matter for consumers and producers to decide, Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association President Scott Dewald said. “I don’t expect there will be a great deal of problems or negatives,” Dewald said. “People will have to answer the social questions they have to answer for themselves. But we’re glad to see the scientific community answer the science questions of whether the product is safe. “Long term, it absolutely can have an effect, if we can replicate the best parts of an animals’ genetics and produce more of the products that consumers want, it will have an effect on producers,” Dewald said. American

Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman applauded the FDA’s announcement: “Cloning technology will give farmers and ranchers an additional production option,” he said. “It has gone through the appropriate regulatory review process and has been found to be safe; therefore, farmers should have the option of using it. The technology will improve breeding stock and, eventually, the quality, safety and healthfulness of our food. Animal cloning offers great benefits for consumers and farmers.” Advocates of cloning technology have said the ultimate goal is not to duplicate animals for direct consumption, but to replicate certain desirable qualities for breeding animals. Their offspring would produce milk or meat for consumption, not the clones themselves. But long before the industry reaches that point, Stallman, Lindsey and others have said cloning technology is still cost-prohibitive. The process of creating a clone and

raising it to adulthood can cost tens of thousands of dollars. “So economics tell us it’s not going to be an issue in terms of products going out to consumers,” Lindsey said. The FDA said it will not require labels for clone-derived food; labeling identifying clone-free food will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. But even with the FDA’s announcement, the U.S. Department of Agriculture still asked the industry to voluntarily continue its ban on marketing cloned animal products. The FDA’s announcement came on the heels of a similar conclusion by the European Food Safety Authority.

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