Chief executive Uma Valeti says Memphis Meats, the self-declared leader in a worldwide race to develop cell-based meat, “will be ready to go to market tomorrow,” albeit on a small scale, once the U.S. regulatory framework is in place. “Selling even the first plate of meat to a consumer is a big deal,” said Valeti.
Cell-based meat, also called “lab meat,” “cultured meat” and “clean meat,” is one of the hottest topics in agriculture, although it is not available commercially anywhere in the world. Some farm groups say terms such as “meat” or “beef” should be reserved for flesh from cattle, hogs, poultry and other animals. During a panel discussion on Friday at USDA’s Outlook Forum, Valeti said cell-based meat, a term jointly proposed by his San Francisco-based company and the meat industry, should be “one more tool in the tool kit” for feeding a world population that is forecast by the UN to reach 9.8 billion in 2050.
The FDA and USDA are expected to announce soon an agreement on how they will divide jurisdiction over the new technology, said Carmen Rottenberg, administrator of USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. The agencies said last November that FDA would oversee cell collection and growth. The USDA would oversee cell harvesting and labeling. For years, the USDA has regulated meatpackers and the labels on packages of meat. Labels must be truthful and not misleading.
Federal meat-labeling laws will pre-empt any state attempts to control marketing of cell-based meat, said Mark Dopp, senior vice president for regulatory affairs for the trade group North American Meat Institute. NAMI says cell-based meat most likely satisfies USDA’s definitions of meat and meat products. Missouri was the first state to restrict “meat” to only animal flesh in a law that took effect last August and was aimed at plant-based protein as well as cell-based meat, which is grown in laboratories from cells taken from livestock. Legislation was pending in at least 21 states on meat labels, said Dopp.
“This is going to be a slow transformation coming onto the market,” said Valeti, pointing to the multiple hurdles in effort to bring down the cost of cell-based meat, build up production volume, satisfy regulators and win consumers. Cell-based meat will sell at a premium compared to conventional meat when it first goes on sale. Memphis Meats “absolutely” sees a benefit from a label that is clear on how its product is made. “We see this as a way of differentiating ourselves,” Valeti said.
Asked where the industry would be in 10 years, Valeti said it “would be fantastic” if cell-based meat captured 1-2 percent of the meat market. “That is an achievable goal” for a 10-year horizon, he said. U.S. meat production is forecast for 104 billion pounds this year. Meat companies Tyson Foods and Cargill have invested in Memphis Meats. Some 40 companies around the globe are pursuing cell-based meat, said Valeti. At least four of them are in the Bay area, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
There is intense speculation over how soon the product will be approved for sale. If the regulatory pathway is in place, “we will be ready to go to market tomorrow,” Valeti told reporters. The likely path would begin with sales to restaurants — perhaps one restaurant at the beginning — with retail sales possible when production volume was larger.