What sounds do cloned cows make? And for that matter, what do cloned cows taste like? According to current research, cloned cows taste just like regular beef. Recent controversy over whether consumption restrictions should be placed on cloned meat has been settled.

First of all, how does cloning work? The costly process of cloning begins with the nucleus of a donor egg. The nucleus is removed and replaced with the DNA of a cow, pig or other animal.

A very small electric shock urges the egg to grow. When fully grown the animal is an identical genetic copy of the original animal. By taking advantage of cloning, ranchers are able to keep their best livestock and provide the best tasting meat, milk and eggs. Also, a cloned calf can sell for prices up to $82,000 while an average calf sells for less than $1,000.

The Food and Drug Administration concluded in a 900 page safety report that meat from cloned cows, pigs and goats is safe to eat. They did not find conclusive results in the area of sheep and lamb products. Studies have shown that milk products from cloned animals are just as safe as products from normal animals. Because there are no genetic differences between the two types of products, food from cloned animals will not need to be specially labeled.

Though initial restrictions have been removed, it is likely that we will not see a final report from the FDA for at least a year. That means cloned products will not hit the shelves for at least a year. In most cases first generation, cloned animals will not be harvested for human consumption, rather their offspring will.

The cloned animals will be used solely for breeding. Currently, the cost of cloning is not economically reasonable. Also, the time of generation does not seem feasible. In the time it takes to clone an animal, wait for it to reach maturity, breed it with another animal, wait for it to yield offspring, and then wait until the offspring is ready for utilization it would seem much easier to just breed ‘normal’ animals.

There are still some hesitations about cloned animals and other aspects of animal bioengineering. It is thought that if cloned animals escaped they could pose an environmental risk if their genes were introduced into wild populations.

Many consumer groups question the moral and ethical concerns of animal cloning before the final report is issued. Some companies are considering "clone-free" labels to ensure to their customers that they are using normal, natural animal products. Other industries are uncomfortable with the idea of cloned meat being available for consumer sale.

Studies have shown that overall meat, milk, and egg sales could drop almost 15 percent if cloned food is allowed on shelves without adequate labeling.

The time is coming. The future is now and cloning is happening in labs as you read this. So the question is, will the world be ready for cloned animal products when the time comes?

We shall soon see.