Japan to Sell Cloned Beef and Pork This Year

The Japanese government will announce cloned beef and pork made from cloned eggs or body cells are safe, allowing their commercial sale this year, Japanese media reported yesterday.

The Yomiuri Shimbun and other media quoted experts at the Japanese Food Safety Commission as saying they concluded the quality of meat and ingredients of milk from cloned cows and pigs are as safe as those of normal meat.

The commission will confirm its decision this year and report it to the Health, Welfare and Labor Ministry. The Cabinet will have final approval.

Cloned beef and pork will hit the market this year, but fears over safety have risen. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Authority announced a year ago that meat and milk products made from cloned animals are safe.

In the United States, however, meat from cloned animals has not been sold on the market for ethical and religious reasons.

surreal@donga.com