NFU president Roger Johnson submitted comments to the two agencies to that effect, urging them to provide clarity to consumers as to whether or not they are purchasing meat products raised in the traditional manner or products that were grown in a lab.
“Animal cell culture technology needs to be regulated and should include roles for both the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the FDA,” said Johnson. “It is important that this joint regulatory framework promotes fair competition for producers and the health and safety of consumers.”
Johnson noted that NFU’s member-driven policy opposes labelling alternative protein sources as ‘meat’ and that common names given to meat and animal products are widely understood by consumers to be the tissue and flesh of animals that have been slaughtered for food.
“Foods produced using animal cell culture technology are not slaughtered, but rather are derived from animal cells grown in a petri dish and other growing media,” he said. “Thus, NFU opposes labeling of foods produced using cell culture applications as ‘meat’ and as related products such as ‘beef,’ ‘poultry’ and ‘seafood.’”
Johnson urged USDA and FDA to establish and clarify the standard of identity for the term ‘meat’ in order to prevent mislabelling of food in the marketplace. FDA has the responsibility under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to deem a food “misbranded” if its labelling is false or misleading, if it is offered for sale under the name of another food or if it is an imitation of another food. “Labelling foods produced using animal cell culture technology as ‘meat’ and other related products would be false and misleading,” he added.
The NFU added that consolidation in the beef, pork and poultry industries has diminished family farmers’ and ranchers’ market share.
“Lab grown products are likely to be produced by large companies, including the major global meatpackers, exacerbating the anti-competitive practices facing family farmers and ranchers and the rural communities in which they live,” said Johnson. “Fairly and accurately labelling animal cell culture products would provide some protection for family farmers’ and ranchers’ market share.”
