American Meat Institute Statement on FDA Cloning Draft Risk Assessment Release

(Attribute Statement to AMI Foundation President James H. Hodges)

Washington, DC -- Consumers should be reassured that the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) risk assessment on animal cloning, like other studies that have preceded it, affirms the safety of food products derived from animal clones and their offspring. We agree with the report's conclusion that the meat and milk from cloned animals are the same as those from conventional animals. In our view, cloning is part of the evolution of breeding practices and technology that has significant potential to improve the quality of food products derived from animals.

As confident as we are in the science of cloning, we also recognize that consumers may have concerns with the notion of consuming meat and milk from cloned animals. We value our customers' confidence and we take their concerns seriously. We believe that FDA should be cautious about allowing meat and milk from cloned animals to be introduced into the marketplace if most consumers are unwilling to accept the technology. We urge the government not simply to affirm its safety in the policy arena, but to assist consumers in understanding what cloning is, and what it is not, so that overall consumer confidence in the food supply is maintained.

It is also important to stress that FDA is just beginning a dialogue with the public on this matter and a voluntary moratorium on the sale of meat from cloned animals remains in place.