Safety of Cloned Animal Products

From the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) press release: "After years of detailed study and analysis, the Food and Drug Administration has concluded that meat and milk from clones of cattle, swine, and goats, and the offspring of clones from any species traditionally consumed as food, are as safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals. There was insufficient information for the agency to reach a conclusion on the safety of food from clones of other animal species, such as sheep."

From the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) press release: "USDA fully supports and agrees with FDA's final assessment that meat and milk from cattle, swine and goat clones pose no safety concerns, and these products are no different than food from traditionally bred animals. . . . At the same time, we understand there are currently only about 600 animal clones in the U.S., and most of them are breeding animals, so few clones will ever arrive in the marketplace. Further, USDA has encouraged technology providers to maintain their voluntary moratorium on sending milk and meat from animal clones into the food supply during this transition time."

The FDA documents on the safety of meat and milk from cow, pig, and goat clones are available on the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) website:

Risk Assessment

Risk Management Plan

Guidance for Industry

The USDA collection page on the cloning risk assessment includes the statement of the Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, a questions and answers document on the FDA risk assessment, and other related documents.

Sources: Weiss, R. (15 Jan. 2008). "FDA Says Clones Are Safe For Food: Report Finds No Evidence of Risks." Washington Post. A01.
Weiss, R. (16 Jan. 2008). "USDA Recommends That Food From Clones Stay Off the Market." Washington Post. A03.