Cloned food may still be years away
Jan 2, 2007 9:10 AM, from staff and wire reports
Jewel and her clone Diamond.
In spite of tentative support by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), food from cloned animals might not be offered to consumers for years.
In an 800-page report, the FDA recently concluded that no difference exists between cloned and conventionally produced food. Though no law prevents cloned food, sales of such food have been voluntarily withheld pending the FDA report.
Cost of cloning is a major obstacle to its widespread application. Each clone costs more than $16,000.
Mark Walton, president of ViaGen, a livestock cloning company based in Austin TX, said, “We applaud the US FDA on its rigorous analysis of all existing science related to use of cloning as a breeding tool. This must be one of the most exhaustive food safety analyses ever done."
Access www.clonesafety.org for more information on cloning myths and facts.
