Britain gets nod to serve cloned food in restaurants

London, Jan 12 (UNI) Britons could now be served cloned animal's meat and milk in restaurants as the European Union gave green signal for the sale of cloned food in UK.

The European Union scientists admit cloned animals suffer higher rates of early death and disease but say there is no food safety reason to keep their products off shop shelves.

The support of European Food Safety Authority would open the door to clone farming in the UK and the importance of products made from cloned meat and milk in the US, where the technique is already in use.

The draft opinion of the Authority will horrify critics who see the development of such animals as ''Frankenstein Farming'', tampering with nature in a similar way to GM foods, the Daily Mail reported.

It has been said the report is at odds with the clear desire of consumers for more natural food.

Cloning opponents say allowing this type of farming will accelerate the trend towards super-size cows, producing vast quantities of milk, and monster pigs.

The EU began an inquiry into the issue in February last year after it was revealed that the offspring of a cloned cow from the US had been born on a farm.

The arrival of the calf, unknown to both the government's food and farming department, and the Food Standards Agency, highlighted serious gaps in the policing of clone farming.

The UK government has indicated in the past that it has no objections to clone farming and rejected advice from one of its own expert committees to set up a regime to regulate it.

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