Food sourced from cloned animals and their offspring do not pose any safety concerns compared to products from conventional sources,according to the latest review by the European Food Safety Authority(EFSA).
The review,which is line with EFSA's previous conclusions in 2009 and 2010,applies particularly to milk and meat from cattle and pigs.EFSA had initiated a third review following a request from the European Commission at the end of2011.
In the latest review,the EU risk assessment body noted that it had not found any data that would lead it to change its position on food from cloned animals and added that the latest studies supported its previous findings.
EFSA said that a standard cloning technique that uses Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer(SCNT)can produce healthy animal clones,but health and welfare concerns remain because of the high mortality rates at all stages of development.
The offspring of clones born through conventional breeding appear to develop normally and are not affected by these complications,the agency said.
