FDA considers approving cloned foods

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration was expected to deem meat and dairy from cloned animals safe for human consumption.

The FDA examined the issue for six years and asked producers of cloned livestock to not deliver foodstuffs to markets until its official ruling on the food's safety, The Wall Street Journal said Friday.

It's expected to take at least three years for meat and dairy products from cloned offspring to reach store shelves but the pending decision would be a landmark decision for biotech companies since cloned cattle, for example, fetch at least $15,000 for copies of prized bovines.

Food retailers expressed concern over a failure of effective government oversight of cloned livestock, saying, "consumers will lose the ability to choose clone-free products."

Some consumers view clone-derived foodstuffs with disdain, calling the foods "Frankenfood." But Jeffery Barach with the Grocery Manufacturers Association said consumers will welcome the quality products as they become more educated.

Australia, Canada, France, Japan and New Zealand permit the use of livestock clones but their foods rarely enter the consumer market.

The European Union bans the importation of U.S. meat amid concerns over the use of hormones and U.S. food companies face obstacles in European markets that are unlikely to respond favorably to consuming cloned products.