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Important News!

The FDA has extended the public commentary period on the decision to allow the sale of food products from cloned animals into the U.S. food supply. The commentary extension is great news because it gives you a chance to share your thoughts with the FDA on this very important matter. Check out Ben & Jerry’s very own singing cow croon about cloning and find out how you can take action!

The Issue at Hand

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is one step away from allowing meat and milk from cloned animals into the nation’s food supply. Ben & Jerry’s believes this would be a step in the wrong direction.

Given a broad range of concerns about cloning technology from consumers, scientists, farmers and animal welfare advocates, we believe a wider national dialogue is needed on this issue before the FDA proceeds any further.

As a food producer, we are particularly concerned that:

• FDA approval of cloning will shake consumer confidence in the food supply.
• Because consumers have a right to know where their food is coming from, food producers should have the freedom to label products appropriately from non-cloned sources, without FDA disclaimers.
• Cloning will have negative effects on the health and welfare of the animals involved.
• Family farms will suffer economic hardship.

Consumer Confidence

Recent polls show that the majority of Americans don’t want products from cloned animals in the food supply. A December 2006 poll by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology found that 64% of U.S. consumers are uncomfortable with animal cloning and 43% believe food from cloned animals is unsafe. A November 2006 poll by the International Food Information Council said that 58% of Americans surveyed would be unlikely to buy meat or dairy products from cloned animals. A recent market analysis by the International Dairy Foods Association indicated that dairy purchases would likely drop by 15% after FDA approval of cloning, due to consumer apprehension over cloned animals. In light of consumer sentiment, we believe FDA approval of cloning presents an unacceptable risk to consumer confidence in the food supply.

Consumer Right to Know

There is a spectrum of ideas about how labeling of foods from cloned animals should be handled. On one end of the spectrum, the FDA has said that it will not require any labeling for foods from cloned sources. On the other end, Senator Barbara Mikulski has called for mandatory labeling of food from cloned animals. To learn more about Sen. Mikulski’s bill, visit our friends at the Center for Food Safety.

Ben & Jerry’s believes that we have the right to label our products with truthful claims. If and when products from cloned animals reach the marketplace, we believe all food producers should be free to label non-cloned packaging accordingly, without FDA disclaimers.

Family Farms

We believe that family farms are the backbone of healthy rural economies, and cloning technology could put them at a special risk. FDA approval of cloning could threaten export markets for meat and dairy products and, according to one recent study, lead to a significant decline in domestic sales of dairy products. Many family farms, already under economic pressure, may not have the resources to ride out an artificially-induced market decline. This would be a loss for individual farmers and rural economies across the country.

Animal Health

The FDA’s own risk assessment states that cloning is a “biologically imprecise and inefficient process” with “an increased frequency of health risks to animals involved.” The FDA report also says that there are, “increased rates of mortality and morbidity in perinatal calf and lamb clones.” Other studies have raised questions about high levels of antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals used to raise clones; and potential imbalances in hormones, fats, and proteins in the tissues of cloned animals. Ben & Jerry’s is concerned about these issues regarding animal health.

What You Can Do

If you’re concerned about the cloning issue, Ben & Jerry’s urges you to take action! How?

1. Learn more! These public interest groups offer excellent resources on cloning technology and its implications:
• The Center for Food Safety
• Consumer Federation of America
• Food and Water Watch
• Humane Society of the United States   Read HSUS’ white paper on cloning.
• Union of Concerned Scientists

Read the FDA’s summary of its cloning risk assessment.

2. Speak up! The FDA is taking public comments on cloning until May 3rd, 2007.
   Congress needs to hear your comments too. To take action, visit our friends at Food and Water Watch.