European Ministers Approve Sale of Food from Offspring of Cloned Animals

European agricultural ministers have approved the sale of meat and milk from the direct offspring of cloned animals, but those products reportedly still have to receive the approval of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) before they can be sold in the European Union. Meat and milk from cloned animals themselves cannot be sold.

An EFSA report issued in July 2008 apparently concluded that “there is no indication that differences exist in terms of food safety for meat and milk of clones and their progeny compared with those from conventionally bred animals. Such a conclusion is based on the assumption that meat and milk are derived from healthy animals, which are subject to relevant food safety controls.” The agency has conceded that the limited number of studies does cast uncertainty on the risks related to consumption of food derived from cloned animals.

In 2008, the Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of meat and milk from cloned cattle, pigs, goats and their offspring without requiring that the products be labeled as such. See Deutsche Welle, June 22, 2009.