USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, DVM, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on Sept. 10 announced a joint public meeting to be held on Oct. 23-24, 2018 to discuss the use of cell culture technology to develop products derived from livestock and poultry.
The joint public meeting, hosted by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the FDA, will focus on the potential hazards, oversight considerations, and labeling of cell-cultured food products derived from livestock and poultry.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association responded to the announcement with a statement from Director of Government Affairs Danielle Beck, saying, “Consumers depend on a regulatory system that ensures their food is safe and accurately labeled. That is why it is encouraging to finally see USDA involvement on the issue of regulating lab-grown fake meat. USDA’s stringent food safety inspection processes and robust labeling protections make the agency the best choice for leading oversight of these new products. NCBA looks forward to participating in the public meeting and will continue to advocate for USDA’s primary oversight role.”
Representatives of industry, consumer groups and other stakeholders are invited to participate in the meeting. Attendees are encouraged to pre-register at the Meetings and Events page on the FSIS website. Written comments may be submitted online at regulations.gov by Nov. 26, 2018.
