EU: More data needed on cloned animals - EFSA

By just-food.com | 24 July 2008

Europe's top food scientists are pushing for further study into food from cloned animals after claiming today (24 July) that current data made it impossible to decide on its safety.

Scientists at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) gave their final verdict on the safety of cloned animal products today following a request from the European Commission.

In January, in a draft opinion, EFSA had said food products made from healthy cloned cattle and pigs were "very unlikely" to pose any threat to food safety.

Today's final verdict was more qualified with Prof. Vittorio Silano, chair of EFSA's scientific committee, insisting that although "no clear evidence" has emerged that food from cloned animals would be unsafe for human consumption, there was evidence of "more frequent and severe" health issues for the animals themselves.

"No clear evidence has emerged to suggest any differences between food products from clones or their offspring, in terms of food safety, compared to products from conventionally bred animals," Prof Silano said. "But we must acknowledge that the evidence base, while growing and showing consistent findings, is still small. That has been one of the challenges throughout this work."

EFSA said 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.

However, the conclusion is based on the assumption that meat and milk are derived from healthy animals that are subject to relevant food safety regulations and controls.

Dr Dan Collins of EFSA told reporters that further investigation was needed. "There are possible concerns ... there is an impact of animal health and welfare on food safety. We need more data," Dr Collins was cited as saying by Reuters.

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