EFSA: vlees en melk gekloonde dieren veilig (en)
Europe is ready for bacon and butter from cloned animals, according to a report by the bloc's food safety watchdog.
On Friday (11 January), the European Food Safety Authority i (EFSA) released its draft scientific opinion on cloned food products such as meat and dairy products, saying they are safe to eat and drink.
"It is very unlikely that any difference exists in terms of food safety between food products originating from clones and their progeny compared with those derived from conventionally bred animals," reads the assessment.
The body has now launched a public consultation on its draft opinion. The assessment comes as the result of a February 2007 request from the European Commission i to EFSA for advice on the implications of animal cloning on food safety, animal health and welfare and the environment.
EFSA does however note that the death and disease rates of clones are significantly higher than those of conventionally bred animals.
But so long as unhealthy clones are removed from entering the food chain as is the case with conventionally bred animals, there should be no danger to consumers, it concludes.
The authority also said that no negative environmental impact is foreseen as a result of animal cloning, but notes that this conclusion was reached on the basis of the limited data available.
The consultation is open until 25 February. Following the consideration of input from member states, industry and the public, EFSA will deliver a revised draft of the opinion for adoption at its April meeting with publication to follow in May.
The assessment comes ahead of a report from the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies, the European Commission's ethics committee, on the ethical and practical considerations of cloned food, due on Wednesday (16 January).
Meer over...