Clones' offspring may be in food chain

Food and milk from the offspring of cloned animals may have entered the US food supply, the US government said on Tuesday, but it would be impossible to know because there is no difference between cloned and conventional products.

The US Food and Drug Administration said in January meat and milk from cloned cattle, swine and goats and their offspring were as safe as products from traditional animals. Before then, farmers and ranchers had followed a voluntary moratorium on the sale of clones and their offspring.

While the FDA evaluated the safety of food from clones and their offspring, the US Agriculture Department was in charge of managing the transition of these animals into the food supply.