Food from cloned animals receives preliminary approval.

In December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a draft risk assessment declaring that the meat and milk of cloned cattle, pigs, goats, and their offspring is "as safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals." The document was opened for a 90-day public comment period, but experts predict the FDA will reaffirm its conclusions, a decision that will likely influence cloning regulations beyond the United States.

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Even if the FDA approves the sale of food from certain cloned animals, this is not likely to lead to a surge of such foods in the market, according to Nature contributor Heidi Ledford. Ledford explains that cloning is an expensive technique that will be most useful for developing elite animals for breeding. The offspring of these clones will probably be the first to enter the food system, though some original clones may eventually be consumed as well.

Chikara Kubota, an animal cloning researcher at Japan's Kagoshima University, says the U.S. announcement is a relief and will likely affect the moratorium on clones in Japan and other countries. Mal Brandon of Australasia's Clone International says the FDA announcement is good news for his company, which has licenses to manufacture cloned cattle and sheep in Australia, New Zealand, and China. But other experts worry that the cloned animals have not been around long enough to ensure they are safe for human consumption.

Worldwatch Institute researcher Danielle Nierenberg, in particular, is concerned that, like genetically modified organisms, clones will not be required to carry an identifying label in stores. "Consumers won't have a choice" when it comes to deciding whether to eat the products, she says. And because there is already a milk and meat glut in the U.S. market, clones are not necessary. "Instead of building super-species of animals in laboratories, science should be focusing on conserving heritage and native breeds of animals that are in danger of extinction from industrial agriculture," Nierenberg says.

The FDA says it does not have the authority to address the ethics of animal cloning, but the Humane Society of the United States believes this facet should not be ignored. The group reports that recent cloning research reveals "problems ... indicative of poor animal welfare," including premature death and abnormalities such as diabetes, deformed feet, and weakened immune systems.