Food from cloned animals, the debate goes on

The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a draft assessment regarding the safety of food products that are taken from cloned animals.

According to the FDA, the results suggest that these products are as safe for human consumption as natural uncloned animal produce.

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) was the original organisation to conduct tests on the matter, and the new draft by the FDA has built on these original findings.

The organisation claims that the results are based on all available evidence and it concludes that milk from cloned animals is just as safe as milk from the animals counterparts that have not been cloned.

Cattle, goats and pigs have been the main focus point of the data that was retrieved, but the findings also show that milk is safe. In the future this may have consequences for the dairy industry in the US and the rest of the world.

The FDA may have a fight on its hands over the ethical and economical aspects of this cloned products. The American Organic Trade Association (OTA) last month urged the association to take care and time over decision making, and pointed out safety fears and problems which such a decision may arouse. If cloned animals produce was allowed to be sold in the US and worldwide, this would hold strong consequences on the industry as a whole.

Potential risk assessments for cloned food will be on the top of the FDA's priority list. Before coming to any decision about the safety of the products, the FDA says that more research will need to be carried out.