Most U.S. consumers say they would consider buying meat and milk produced from cloned animals, provided the federal government declares that it's safe. That's the latest word from a survey that Viagen, a genetics company working with cloned animals funded. The survey was conducted by a third-party polling agency.

Nearly one-third of respondents said they would definitely buy products from cloned animals. Another third said they would consider it; and the remaining third said they don't want to have anything to do with products from cloned animals.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration presented a draft risk assessment in the fall of 2003, which concluded that food from cloned animals and their offspring was as safe as conventionally reared food. Yet, an FDA panel do conclude that more research into new technology was needed. This effectively delayed a final decision. However, FDA is expected to lift that ban within months.

The survey by KRC Research showed that 45 percent of U.S. consumers knew nothing about animal biotechnology; 26 percent said they knew "a bit" about it; 21 percent knew “some.”

A survey official pointed out that the public opposed technologies such as genetically modified grain and other food crops in its early stages. He noted that if consumers are to trust animal cloning, they must also trust the government's regulatory agencies and processes.

The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent.

KRC Research, Reuters