Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) investigation into the safety of animal cloning for food production and sale in the US, may lead to a newly revived debate on labelling laws when findings are published early next week.

Industry sources told Reuters yesterday that they expected the FDA report to reflect recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), which last year found no significant health risks from cloned animal products.

If the FDA adopts the position of the NAS, it is not expected to require labelling for cloned food. Concern however has been raised by some consumer advocates who believe the public are not yet at ease with the cloning idea.

"Every poll shows the public is extremely leery of animal cloning, even if the science is there, there is concern over the moral and ethical issues," said Carol Tucker Foreman, food policy director for the Consumer Federation of America.

The industry, with less than a dozen companies including ViaGen and Cyagra, is eagerly awaiting the FDA's decision having already cloned cattle and milk products ready for market.

Cloned or genetically identical animals such as cattle, hogs and chickens can be bred to provide more milk and eggs than animals that are naturally reproduced. Researchers can also enhance the nutritional value of food and lower cholesterol in eggs and meat by the same method.

Biotech companies clone animals by taking the nuclei of cells from adults and fusing them into other egg cells from which the nuclei have been extracted. Hundreds of cattle and hogs have already been cloned for food companies to sell.

Earlier this year, Japan said it found no abnormalities in meat or milk from cloned animals, but called for the creation of a system to deal with problems that might arise.

"There are still questions about whether cloning causes significant changes in the nutritional value of milk and meat, such products should be labeled," said Joe Mendelson, legal director of the Center for Food Safety.

Smithfield Foods, the leading US pork producer, has already shown an interest in selling meat from cloned animals and has a technology development contract with Texas-based ViaGen.

The Food and Drug Administration are to publish a draft risk assessment later today with a final policy decision expected next year reports Rueters. The FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine is due to discuss the issue at a public meeting on November 3-4.