(FDA: Rockville, Maryland) -- After years of study and analysis, the Food and Drug Administration has concluded that meat and milk from clones of cattle, swine, and goats, and the offspring of clones from any species traditionally consumed as food, are as safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals.

FDA issued three documents on animal cloning outlining the agency’s regulatory approach: a risk assessment, a risk management plan, and guidance for industry.

The risk assessment document presents an overview of assisted reproductive technologies widely used in animal agriculture, the extensive scientific information available on the health of animal clones and their sexually reproduced offspring, and an assessment of whether food from clones or their sexually reproduced offspring could pose food consumption risks different from the risks posed by food from conventionally bred animals. The science-based conclusions agree with those of a 2002 National Academy of Sciences report. The assessment was peer-reviewed by a group of independent scientific experts in cloning and animal health who found the FDA’s evaluation methods adequate and agreed with the conclusions in the document.

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