The US dairy industry has urged US food safety authorities to further probe the effects of allowing food from cloned cattle into the food supply after European scientists said such products are “very unlikely” to pose any threat to food safety.
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The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), which represents the US dairy industry, said the review from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) made it vital for the US Food and Drug Administration to “fully consider all aspects of this new technology in light of our global marketplace”.
A study from EFSA found that, although death and disease rates of clones are significantly higher than those in conventionally reproduced animals, “healthy clones and healthy offspring do not show any significant differences from their conventional counterparts”.
Meat and milk from cloned animals “are within the normal range with respect to the composition and nutritional value of similar products obtained from conventionally bred animals”, EFSA said.
IDFA president and CEO Connie Tipton said the association wants “more thorough and deliberative dialogue” on the issue of allowing food products from cloned animals into the food supply.
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By GlobalData“This careful examination process by the EU underscores the necessity for FDA to fully consider all aspects of this new technology in light of our global marketplace,” Tipton said.
“Nothing is more important to milk processors than the trust people have in milk and milk products. That is why we urge the FDA to listen to the more than 30,000 comments the agency has received over the last year and take the time to respond to their comments and concerns before allowing milk from cloned cows into the food supply.”
Tipton added: “IDFA continues to call for a more thorough and deliberative dialogue at all levels on animal cloning – one that takes into account the unintended negative economic, trade and public health impacts of approving a niche technology too soon.”
