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WASHINGTON: Food and biomedical products from cloned and genetically engineered animals pose no significant health risks, but stronger US government oversight must be implemented to ensure its safety, a National Academy of Sciences panel said on Tuesday.
In a broad one-year study of animal biotechnology, researchers said there was a “low probability” consuming food from cloned livestock would trigger allergic reactions.
The Food and Drug Administration, which requested the study, is preparing to decide whether to allow the marketing of milk and meat products from hundreds of cloned cattle.
“There is a very low probability food allergies will occur, but if they do occur it could potentially be of high risk to some people,” said John Vandenbergh, lead author of the study.
Cloned and gene-altered animals, such as cattle, sheep and poultry, can be farmed to provide more milk or eggs than traditional livestock. Researchers also can enhance the nutritional value of food, including lowering cholesterol in eggs and leaner meat with enhanced vitamin content.
The panel studied a handful of cloning technologies and raised the most food safety concerns with somatic cell cloning. This technique, used to make Dolly the sheep, uses an egg cell with a nucleus injected from an animal to be cloned.
Researchers said fecal matter from cloned animals could contain a larger amount of harmful bacteria, such as salmonella or E. coli O157:H7, indirectly causing a greater food safety risk. But there was not enough information available to either disprove or support this.
LAX GOVT OVERSIGHT: The panel also expressed concerns that cloned and genetically engineered animals intended for biomedical purposes could find its way into the food supply due to lax federal oversight.
Researchers are working to clone animal cells, tissue and organs to treat Parkinson’s, diabetes and liver disease.
The use of cloning for therapeutic purposes is highly controversial. Congress is considering either restricting or banning it. President George W. Bush would like to prohibit all cloning involving humans.
The panel said recipients of xenotransplants could be exposed to new infectious diseases, but the “considerable risk” was not any greater when compared to other medical alternatives. The only animal under serious consideration as a xenotransplant donor was the pig.
The report said the three federal agencies that regulate animal biotechnology — FDA, Agriculture Department, and the Environmental Protection Agency — needed to clarify its responsibilities as many overlap.
The biotechnology industry hailed the report, but said the current federal regulatory system was adequate enough to ensure public and environmental safety.—Reuters
