Given the choice, would you eat dairy or meat produce from an animal that had been cloned?

It's a complex question that we consumers will face in the coming years, as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has now approved the production of food derived from cloned animals. Under the new ruling, meat and other produce from cattle, swine and goats that have been cloned will be available for consumption very soon. The result was reached in January of this year and naturally, there are those for and against this conclusion. In 2007 a study conducted by Pew Charitable Trusts found that two thirds of US consumers were "uncomfortable" with the idea of cloned foods coming onto the market. What's more, the FDA has not ruled that these products have to be labelled, meaning consumers will not be able to make an informed choice on what they're eating at all.

In Europe, talks are in much earlier stages regarding the clearance of "cloned food", and the progress in the United States will no doubt be watched closely by the European Union. Last month, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) initiated a public consultation on the guidance documentation it has drafted for this technology. Some highlights of the draft include: "foods from cloned pigs and cattle are essentially identical to those from conventionally bred animals; animal cloning is unlikely to have environmental impacts," and lastly, "there are health and welfare issues, but these are likely to diminish as technology progresses."

It could be said that we do not yet know the health implications for humans and we will not know until much further down the line, when such foods have been incorporated into our diets.

Thankfully, however the European Union has indicated that if such foods were approved for production and sale in Europe, they would have to be labelled accordingly.

Quite understandably there has been a backlash against this "threat" of cloned food that may soon arrive on our shelves. In Italy, the farmer's union Coldiretti has resolved to "mobilise strongly" against such products if they are approved, as they believe that food derived from clones would pose an "unacceptable risk" to consumers. Their fears have not gone unheard, and the European Union has promised to continue to call for public consultations throughout the year before reaching a verdict on the subject.

One issue surrounding animal cloning is that to employ the technology is currently highly expensive and difficult to replicate on a large scale. It is more likely that cloned animals would be used for selective breeding and then the produce of their offspring to be sold for consumption.
It seems obvious though, that if individuals are able to make their own informed decisions about whether or not they buy "cloned foods", and are not left in the dark to guess what they're eating, then all the better.

I wonder how the 'bio' mevement feels about this? surely this development goes against our re-discovered interest in naturally raised produce and meats. In the future we will not be able to ask simply "do you eat meat?" but "how was your meat grown - did someone mess with the genes? do you trust it? really? "