Nebraska governor says no to lab-grown meat
If Gov. Jim Pillen has his way, Nebraska legislators will pass a law banning the sale of "lab-grown meat" — the industry prefers the term cultivated meat — during its next session. Florida and Alabama enacted state bans on the alternative meat this year, and Iowa has barred school districts and publicly funded colleges from buying the meat.
USDA proposal on cultivated meat labels is expected this year
The USDA's meat safety agency aims to publish its proposed rule on cultivated meat labels this year, roughly three years after it asked consumers if names such as "steak" should be allowed, said a spokesperson on Wednesday.
Bill would label livestock rivals as ‘imitation’ or ‘lab-grown’ meat
With U.S. approval of cultivated chicken grown in fermentation vats, farm-state lawmakers filed companion bills in the House and Senate on Tuesday to require alternative proteins, such as plant-based foods, to carry the words "imitation" or "lab-grown" on their labels. Sponsors said they wanted to prevent confusion in the supermarket between "real farm-raised meat" and its rivals.
Whatever you call it, cultivated meat trails beef in consumers’ estimation
Americans declare beef is better than its plant-based or lab-grown alternatives from almost any standpoint, from taste to nutrition and environmental impact, said a Purdue University report on Wednesday. Consumers gave slightly higher scores to "lab-grown meat" as opposed to "cell-cultured meat," although it is the same thing.
In a landmark step, U.S. clears cell-cultured chicken for consumers
Two companies that grow “cultivated” chicken in fermentation vats rather than slaughtering poultry said on Wednesday their products will soon be sold in U.S. restaurants now that they have received final clearance from the government. “This approval will fundamentally change how meat makes it to the table,” said the chief executive of UPSIDE Foods.
Lab-grown meat has a P.R. problem
Cell-based meat companies claim their products are identical to meat, but they have one important difference, reports Joe Fassler, in FERN's latest story, produced in collaboration with Bloomberg Businessweek. (No Paywall)
As USDA and FDA agree on oversight, aggies rail against ‘fake meat’
In a step that moves a new industry closer to commercial reality, the premier federal food-safety agencies agreed on Thursday on how to jointly regulate cell-based meat, a laboratory-grown protein that farm groups call “fake meat.” The FDA will oversee cell collection and growth, while the USDA will oversee harvesting and processing, and have final say over labeling.
Memphis Meats will start small when it gets regulatory green light
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.
Four reasons to check out FERN’s SXSW panel on Big Food
Next week, FERN is headed to Austin, where I’m moderating two panels at SXSW! One of them — The Future of Big Food: What’s at Stake? — will take on big questions about where Big Food companies are headed. As eaters increasingly want transparency about ingredients, healthier options, and more sustainable packaging, where does that leave manufacturers? And will new labeling regulations shift the grocery environment? (No paywall)
USDA and FDA seek to cooperate on regulating cell-culture technology
The Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration began a two-day stakeholder meeting Tuesday to discuss how to regulate livestock and poultry produced with cell-culture technology. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb emphasized that both agencies have a role in creating a regulatory framework for lab-grown meat, but suggested such a framework will still take months to complete.
Industry proposal: USDA and FDA should share oversight of ‘cell-based’ meat
The U.S. meat industry and nascent competitor Memphis Meats agreed on a standard name — “cell-based meat and poultry” — for food produced from lab-cultured animal cells on Thursday and proposed joint FDA and USDA regulation of cell-based meat.
At FDA meeting, controversy over lab-grown meat
The Food and Drug Administration held a public meeting Thursday on the safety and labeling of alternative “meat” proteins produced with animal cell culture technology. In a packed room, FDA employees, industry stakeholders, and scientists discussed current trends in the controversial sector, which some imagine could reshape how Americans consume meat. (No paywall)
Online survey: 29 percent of consumers would eat lab-grown meat
Americans are twice as likely as Britons to say they would eat so-called cultured meat grown in a laboratory, according to an online survey of 1,000 consumers in both countries. Overall, 29 percent said they were willing to try the meat, with 60 percent of vegans saying they would try it, says Ingredient Communications.