During the Jan. 7 installment of National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA’s) Beltway Beef podcast, NCBA’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, Danielle Beck, urged producers to get to know their new representatives in Congress and communicate with them about the importance of beef ranching, beef, and accuracy in labels when it comes to cell-cultured “meat” products.
She pointed out that NCBA—in its comments submitted to the USDA and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the regulation of the fake meat industry—asserts that the term “beef” should only be reserved for meat from cattle raised by ranchers rather than grown in a lab.
She also stressed the need for safety testing of the fake meat products before they reach consumer shelves. “There are a number of products used in the production [of fake meat] that may not have been used in other food production technologies. All of those inputs need to be assessed on their own.”
Referencing the ongoing government shutdown, she said she hopes that whatever funding bill comes out of Congress to try to end the shutdown will include appropriations language that deals with the oversight jurisdiction of fake meat.
At the moment, USDA and FDA have issued a memorandum of understanding stating that both agencies will oversee the creation and distribution process.
