Cloned Food Products Near Reality:
on Shelves by 2003

September 16, 2002 ; Page A01
By Justin Gillis, Washington Post Staff Writer

Milk from cloned cows and meat from the offspring of cloned cows and pigs could show up on grocery shelves as early as next year under the plans of livestock breeders who are already raising scores of clones on American farmsteads.

A recent report from the National Academy of Sciences, the nation's top scientific body, has given fresh impetus to the effort to turn cloning into a routine tool of U.S. agricultural production.

A special NAS panel that reviewed developments in animal biotechnology was alarmed by genetic manipulation of fish and insects that might escape and harm wild species, but it found cloning of farm animals less troublesome, since the technique involves copying adult animals without altering their genes. The committee called for a few additional studies but said the technique was unlikely to affect the safety of the food supply.

A few cloned cows scattered around the country are already producing milk. Farmers and companies have held off selling it only because of informal requests from the Food and Drug Administration, which is reviewing whether clones, their byproducts or their offspring should be allowed into the food supply.

The agency hopes for a decision by late this year. Absent compelling evidence of a problem, it's not clear the FDA or any other government agency would have the legal power to keep cloned animals out of the food supply.

The biggest lingering concern appears to be for the welfare of cloned animals and their surrogate mothers, with some groups saying the development of cloning on a large scale will lead to widespread animal suffering.

The number of cloned animals living on American farms today is small -- most estimates put it at fewer than 100. All are elite animals that cost tens of thousands of dollars to produce and are valued as breeding stock, not as meat.

The cloned food products that could hit the market in small quantities next year include milk from cloned Holstein dairy cows and, potentially, veal from their first-generation offspring. Pigs would likely not be far behind, with some first-generation offspring probably being butchered for food in 2004 or 2005, animal breeders said.

© 2002 The Washington Post Company
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