Cloned Meat OK To Eat, FDA Scientists Say

Meat and milk from cloned animals and their offspring are safe to eat and should be allowed into the U.S. food supply without special labeling, a report says.

"All of the studies indicate that the composition of meat and milk from clones is within the compositional ranges of meat and milk consumed in the U.S.," two Food and Drug Administration scientists wrote in a report published in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Theriogenology, which focuses on animal reproduction.

The finding is a strong signal the FDA will endorse the use of cloning technology for cattle, goats and pigs when it publishes a key safety assessment next week, The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

The assessment is intended to clear the way for formal approval of the food products.

The study prompted criticism from some food safety advocates.

The FDA "has been trying to foist this bad science on us for several years," Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Food Safety in Washington, told the Times.