The leading livestock cloning companies in the US have launched a tracking system that they claim will allow food companies to identify cloned animals in the food chain.
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The programme was developed after collaboration between representatives of the beef, dairy and pork industries, as well as producers, processors, grocers and foodservice providers, and is aimed at facilitating marketing claims.
“Because so few clones currently exist, putting this system into place immediately virtually ensures that processors will be able to identify food from a cloned animal if that’s their goal,” said Mark Walton, president of cloning company ViaGen.
The programme works through the use of a national registry, affidavits and incentives. Cloning companies will give each cloned animal a unique ID that will be entered into a registry that can be queried and verified by the livestock auction market or packer/processor.
Last December, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) released a draft risk assessment, based on hundreds of domestic and international peer-reviewed studies, which stated that food derived from clones and their offspring was indistinguishable from that of conventionally reproduced animals.
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By GlobalData“There is no argument about the safety of these products and the extremely limited number of clones makes it unlikely anyone will eat food from a cloned animal,” said Walton. “However, we wanted to accommodate those industry segments who may wish to market only traditional products.”
Meanwhile, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), which represents the US dairy industry, said it viewed the creation of the new national registry as a necessary first step in addressing consumer concerns over food products from cloned animals, adding that it strongly urged the FDA to continue the current voluntary moratorium on introducing milk and milk-derived products from cloned animals and their progeny.
“We further call on FDA to fully consider the unintended and negative economic and public health consequences in lifting the moratorium at this time,” said IDFA president and chief executive Connie Tipton.
The IDFA added that it supports congressional provisions that require additional studies to be undertaken before the FDA can issue a final Risk Assessment. “Animal cloning is a relatively new niche market technology, and it’s important that we have a thorough, deliberative dialogue where people can openly discuss any concerns they may have,” Tipton said.
The FDA is expected to give final go-ahead for the sale of cloned meat and milk before the end of the year but many leading food processors have publicly declared they will not be marketing food products derived from cloned animals.
