EFSA Reaffirms Safety of Food Derived from Cloned Pigs, Cattle

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a scientific statement reaffirming its 2009 conclusion that “in relation to food safety, there is no indication that differences exist for meat and milk of clones and their progeny compared with those from conventionally bred animals.” The food safety watchdog’s assessment, however, pertains only to pigs and cattle because “there is still limited information available on cloning” of other species.

The European Commission in May 2010 asked EFSA for an update on scientific developments regarding the safety of cloning farmed animals for food production. In response, EFSA’s Scientific Committee reviewed approximately 100 recent studies and other data from European research centers to determine that no new scientific information has surfaced to change its conclusions about cloned pigs and cattle. According to the statement, EFSA also reconfirmed its previous conclusion that “mortality rates and the number of animals born with developmental abnormalities are higher in animal clones than in conventionally bred animals” due primarily to “epigenetic dysregulation,” a reprogramming of the donor cell. See EFSA Press Release, September 17, 2010.