Washington, D.C., September 14, 2007 – The Center for Food Safety (CFS) today welcomed an announcement by Smithfield Foods, Inc., the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer, stating that the company is not moving to produce food from cloned animals, and is taking a cautious approach to the new technology. Smithfield previously funded the pig cloning company Prolinia, and continued to support cloning after Viagen, the leading pig cloning company, acquired Prolinia in 2003.
In a statement issued recently, the company announced "Smithfield Foods is not planning to produce meat products from cloned animals. The science involved in cloning animals is relatively new. As thoughtful leaders in our industry, we will continue to monitor this technology."
The Smithfield statement continues: “Throughout our long history we have been very diligent and measured in making decisions that affect our customers and our reputation. Our focus remains on the development and improvement of our meat products through careful selective breeding and genetic research.”
Smithfield’s statement follows on the heels of the California State Legislature passing the nation’s first measure requiring food from cloned animals to be clearly labeled. Although the bill was vetoed by the Governor, it shows a clear commitment on the Legislature to promote consumers right to know how their food is produced. In addition to California, legislators in several other states, and the US House and Senate, have introduced similar legislation,. “Although the FDA has stated that they will likely allow the sale of food from clones without testing or labeling, the public is speaking through their elected officials and through the marketplace, continued Mendelson. “Smithfield joins state and federal lawmakers who are taking America’s food safety seriously, and setting the bar higher than the FDA allows.”
Smithfield Foods is the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer, with revenues approaching $12 billion in 2007. In the U.S. Smithfield is also the leader in turkey processing and is the fifth-largest beef processor. Their announcement comes at a time when opposition to food from clones has never been higher. A national survey conducted this year by Consumers Union found that 89 percent of Americans want to see cloned foods labeled. An additional 69 percent said that they have concerns about cloned meat and dairy products in the food supply.
The Center for Food Safety has issued a report on food from clones, Not Ready for Prime Time, which reveals that most cloning studies considered by the FDA when making its decision to introduce food from clones found troubling abnormalities and defects in clones, many of which could pose food safety risks. The CFS report reveals that swine clones are smaller and more sickly than pigs born naturally, and often die early from unexplained illnesses. The report outlines the frequent and severe deformities clones are afflicted with, and noted that FDA’s review failed to adequately address animal welfare issues, entirely ignoring Americans’ ethical and moral concerns about animal cloning.
