April 19, 2007

US senators want labels on cloned meat and dairy
 

Some US senators filed a bill in the California Legislature demanding all cloned meat and meat products as well as dairy should be properly labelled upon entering groceries and market shelves.

The bill introduced in Congress by Senator Barbara Mikulski would require cloned meat or milk products to carry a label reading: "This product is from a cloned animal or its progeny."

State Senator Carole Migden said consumers have the right to know on their purchases and decide if they want to consume products from cloned animals. She said the long-tern consequences of eating artificially produced animals are still uncertain.

Migden pointed to recent polls she said the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) reviews on cloned food could be influential with consumers. A Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology survey found that 64 percent of respondents were sceptical about animal cloning while a poll conducted by the University of Maryland said the same percentage would either buy or consider buying such food if the government affirms its safety.

The California Cattlemen's Association and other industry groups however, are against the legislation.

The FDA in December issued a preliminary report stating there should be no concern on eating meat from cloned cows, pigs and goats or their offspring. The agency could grant final approval for manufacturers to sell cloned animal products by year's end. However, some sectors such as the Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports, stating the FDA has based its preliminary findings on limited samples.

According to Jean Halloran, the group's director of food policy initiatives findings that cloned pork could be safe, for example, were based on tests of just five pigs, while the findings about cows' milk were from 43 cows.

The group said consumers have the right to at least know whether they are eating cloned products or not. The US Department of Agriculture's green organic seal, given to food produced without pesticides or antibiotics, also means clone-free, according to the agency.