January 21, 2008

WASHINGTON – In 1997, scientists in Scotland were able to successfully clone the first animal, Dolly the sheep. The AP reports that food manufacturers will now be able to benefit from that advancement, since the FDA has determined cloned animals and their offspring are safe for human consumption.

But the two largest food companies, Dean Foods and Smithfield Foods, have taken a moral stand against the use of cloned animals. That's likely because FDA research found that a third of Americans wouldn't want to eat clones or their offspring.

The FDA has also ruled that food manufacturers won't be required to label foods made from cloned animals. They say that's because there's no distinguishable difference between the traditionally bred and the cloned.

The question still plaguing researchers is how to ensure the longevity of clones since many copied animals have health issues. Manufacturers say they'd likely not use the clones for food, rather their offspring instead. That's because each clone costs from $10,000-20,000 – compared to $1,000-2,000 for traditionaly bred cows.

By the way, Dolly had to be euthanized in 2003 due to lung issues.

We don't normally cover this type of story here at PetPulse because it isn't pet related, but we want to know if you would eat a cloned animal or its offspring.

Tell us what you think under this story. Post your favorite pet videos at the zootooTV tab. E-mail us your story ideas at news@zootoo.com or call us at 877-777-4204.