At the end of 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that cloned livestock is safe to eat.

“Cloning poses no unique risks to animals not already seen with other assisted reproductive technologies already used in agriculture,” says Stephen F. Sundlof, PhD, DVM, director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine.

If you are a cow, I guess that is great news, but consumers aren’t so sure, however. “The word ‘cloning’ has kind of a ‘yuck’ factor,” says Steve Stice, PhD, a University of Georgia cloning researcher.

“FDA has gone astray, insisting that anytime they say a food is safe, consumers are obligated to eat it,” says Consumer Federation of America’s Carol Tucker Foreman. Another concern may be the lack of labeling for cloned meat.

Currently, only organic production does not allow animal cloning, says James Riddle, organic outreach coordinator at the University of Minnesota, adding that just 4 to 7 percent of cloned animals survive, which makes this very expensive meat.

To be on the safe side, however, two U.S. Senators, Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) have introduced legislation to bar any cloned livestock from receiving the U.S. Department of Agriculture organic label.

Organic products are free of artificial colors, too.

Rather than petroleum-based and other synthetic coloring agents that some studies have linked to attention deficit disorder and other health conditions, organic foods contain beets, caramel (made from cane and rice syrups), carrots, cherries, elderberry, hibiscus, strawberries, pumpkin, red cabbage, and other colorful fruits and vegetables. [source: Taste for Life]