Cattlemen’s Groups Voice Concerns with Lab-grown Meat to USDA, FDA

The debate on lab-grown meats is still ongoing as several cattlemen’s groups had the chance to voice their apprehensions to two government agencies about labeling the products “beef” or “meat” and what it could mean for food safety. In a joint public meeting hosted by the USDA and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called “The Use of Cell Culture Technology to Develop Products Derived from Livestock and Poultry” a comment period was held at the end where members of national and state cattlemen’s groups shared concerns about the emerging food technology. Words and claims matter to consumers when it comes to clarifying cell-cultured protein from meat derived from livestock says Kevin Kester, 5^th generation rancher from California and president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). “Lab-grown, fake meat labels should be held to the same standards as other meat labels. Given that the goal of these products is to compete directly with real meat, only USDA oversight can adequately ensure this outcome,” Kester says. Kester points out that several lab-grown meat companies have started to disparage against real meat or beef in their marketing before the products have become available. These would include terms like “clean meat.” Kester and NCBA believe that “USDA can be trusted to enforce truthful and transparent labeling of the products under its jurisdiction.” The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) is hesitant to allow lab-grown or cell-cultured meat to be called “beef” or “meat.” Danni Beer, past president for USCA and 3^rd generation rancher in South Dakota, says that beef checkoff funding should not be used to fund promotion of the products. “It is wrong for beef producers to pay to promote a cell-cultured product. And it is wrong for any part of our beef checkoff dollars to be used to promote cell-cultured proteins either domestically or internationally,” Beer says...MORE

Also see this article from BEEF magazine.