The field of lab-grown meat is “dynamic,” “complex” and “evolving,” said FDA leaders in declaring that the agency, which regulates most of the food supply, has the technical expertise and the statutory authority to regulate so-called clean meat. The cattle industry protested that the USDA is in charge of meat safety.
An appropriations bill awaiting floor debate in the House would add cell-cultured meat to USDA’s portfolio. The corresponding bill in the Senate is silent on the question. Ranchers are united in trying to pre-empt lab-grown meat from being sold as meat. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), for instance, “firmly believes the term beef should only be applicable to products derived from actual livestock raised by farmers and ranchers.” Proponents of clean meat say their products don’t require slaughter of livestock and use less land and water than feedlots.
“The FDA is constantly evaluating new areas of food innovation and establishing guidelines on how new technology can safely advance. One such area is the development of products that are intended to resemble conventional meat, poultry and seafood,” said FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb and deputy commissioner Anna Abram in a statement. “These ‘cultured’ products are generally made from cells collected from animals that are multiplied using non-traditional food technologies.” After referring to statutes giving FDA broad authority, the agency leaders said the substances used in cell-cultured meat “and the products themselves…are subject to FDA’s jurisdiction.”
The agency scheduled a day-long hearing for July 12 to discuss cell-cultured meat. “While the primary subject of the meeting will focus on food safety, FDA recognizes the importance of other issues related to foods produced through animal cell culture technology, such as labeling, and FDA welcomes comment on these other issues and expects that they will be the focus of future engagement with stakeholders and the public.”
The NCBA said USDA has been in charge of meat safety for more than a century. “The public meeting is not a formal decision and will not prevent USDA from asseting primary juriscition.” The cattle group said lab-grown meat would fall under the statutory definition of a meat byproduct and USDA controls them.
Clean meat is “just a marketing term,” says the North American Meat Institute trade group. Like the NCBA, the Meat Institute says USDA would have jurisdiciton over the products because they originated from the cells of meat-bearing animals.
Lab-grown meat is still in the developmental stage, although it may be on the market in small quantities within a couple of years