Washington ? Cloneburgers won’t come with warnings.

When the government approves food from cloned animals, expected in the next year, the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t plan special labels. Government scientists have found no difference between clones and conventional cows, pigs or goats.

However, shoppers won’t be completely in the dark. To help them sort through meat and dairy products, one signal is the round, green USDA organic seal, says Caren Wilcox, who heads the Organic Trade Association.

While many people choose organic to avoid pesticides or antibiotics, Wilcox says the U.S. Department of Agriculture label also means clone-free.

“Organic animal products will not come from cloned animals,” she said.

Cloning is taboo to Organic Valley, the country’s biggest organic farming cooperative.

“This is absolutely prohibited in our world. It goes against everything we believe,” said George Siemon, CEO of the 700-member cooperative. “Organic is based on having plenty with what nature’s given us.”

“Clone-free” labels also are likely on some nonorganic food, such as ice cream made by Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc.

Still, it’s unclear how much cloning will matter to consumers. The nation’s milk industry worries that people might reject food from clones or turn away from dairy products altogether. But so far, public opinion appears mixed.

In a September poll by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology, 64 percent of respondents said they were uncomfortable with animal cloning.

In a December poll by the University of Maryland, the same percentage said they would buy, or consider buying, such food if the government said it was safe.

“The answers weren’t yuck versus yes – not for the consumers that are provided information,” said Barb Glenn, director of animal biotechnology for the Biotechnology Industry Organization.

Glenn also points out that the purpose of cloning is not to put lots of cloned livestock into the food supply. The purpose is to make a genetic copy of a superior animal and put its offspring into the food supply.

Scientists have found no difference in clones or their offspring, and they have detected no difference in the animals’ meat or milk.

“You can’t distinguish these animals from other animals,” said Glenn, who noted that it would be difficult to ensure that c company’s products indeed were clone free. “It’s almost mind-boggling, when you start talking about the granddaughters of granddaughters of granddaughters.”

Organic products, which are grown without toxic pesticides and fertilizers, antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones, typically cost more than other products. Organic food also is grown without genetic engineering.