Food from Cloned Animals
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is most likely going to allow the sale of meat and dairy products from cloned animals. This appears to be another situation where economics outweighs public safety.
It is unclear whether labels will be required to indicate that the products are from cloned animals. The FDA's track record would indicate that there will be no labeling requirement, and consumers will be left wondering whether the food they consume is safe.
In a story in the Washington Post today, Stephen F. Sundlof, the FDA's chief of veterinary medicine, who has overseen the long-stalled risk assessment, was quoted as saying, "Our evaluation is that the food from cloned animals is as safe as the food we eat every day." Given the recent outbreak of E. coli that sickened almost 200 people and killed 3, Dr. Sundlof's statement does nothing to alliviate concern about food from cloned animals.