Thursday, March 08, 2007

New Federal Bill Introduced to Mandate Cloned Food Labeling

Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) has introduced the Cloned Food Labeling Act (S. 414), a bill requiring food from cloned animals or their offspring to be labeled as such. In a speech on the Senate floor, Mikulski cited growing consumer opposition to eating cloned food products and the need to track cloned food in case a recall is needed. California State Senator Carole Migden (D-3rd district) has introduced a similar bill to the California legislature. The bills are a response to the Food and Drug Administration's recent announcement that it intends to allow products from cloned animals and their progeny to be sold as food.

Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats have announced that they will not carry products from clones or their offspring. The nation's top dairy company, Dean Foods, also will not sell milk from cloned cows. Ben & Jerry's staged an event on Capitol Hill at which protesters dressed as cows handed out educational information to express the company's opposition to cloning.

Source: Union of Concerned Scientists website