Animal clones in the food supply

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The American public remains uncomfortable with animal cloning, but many food animal veterinarians consider cloning to be just another reproductive technology.

The Food and Drug Administration recently released draft documents on the safety of animal cloning. The FDA found that meat or milk from clones of adult cattle, swine, and goats—and offspring of these animals—is as safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals (see JAVMA, Feb. 1, 2007, page 325). The agency also addressed issues of animal health, but not the ethics of cloning (see accompanying story).

Only about 22 percent of Americans believe that food from animal clones is safe, according to a survey of 1,000 consumers in September 2006 through the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology. About 43 percent believe food from animal clones is unsafe, and about 36 percent are unsure.

According to a 2005 survey by the same group, about 56 percent of the public opposes research into genetic modification of animals.