The Red Meat Club—where thick, juicy prime ribs overflow from the plates of the movers and shakers of the Western beef industry once a year during the National Western Stock Show—is likely the last place you’d expect to find an in-depth discussion of fake meat. Nevertheless, that was what was on the table for this year’s featured talk.
Mark Dopp, senior vice president of regulatory affairs and general counsel to the North American Meat Institute (NAMI), was the featured speaker at this year’s Red Meat Club dinner, held this year on Jan. 17. Though featured speakers usually discuss issues of cattle genetics or meat quality facing the beef industry, Dopp spoke about fake meat. He explained a few seconds into his talk that he would not use the phrase “fake meat,” however.
“I will refer to those products as ‘cell-based products.’”
“Cell-based products” have several names. Commonly called “fake meat” in the beef industry, they have also been derisively called “lab-grown meat” and “test-tube meat.” “Cultured protein” or “in vitro meat” are more neutral terms. The burgeoning industry that creates the stuff prefers to call it “clean meat.”
Cell-based products are part of the larger category of “alternative proteins.” However, unlike plant-based alternative proteins such as the Beyond Burger or the Impossible Burger that use plant proteins to create beef look-alike products, cell-based products are grown from cells taken from animals and cultured in a growth medium in a lab.
Dopp—stressing that he is “an economist and a food and drug lawyer”—told the audience the scientists at NAMI described the production process as similar to making beer.
“It goes into a bioreactor,” he summarized. “I can’t explain the process to you, but the product that comes out at the end of the day is meat.”
“You may not want to hear that, but it’s true,” he added. “The scientists all tell me it’s meat. If that’s the case, then we want to make sure it’s regulated in the very same way.”
A level playing field
“If you don’t remember anything else I say tonight, I want you to remember one thing: The objective is to develop and come up with a regulatory scheme that establishes a level playing field,” Dopp summarized. He repeated this theme throughout his talk and following question and answer period.
He expanded on this idea. A level playing field is not only labeling regulations and whether the product can be called “meat” or not, but the standards to which it is held and who will be setting and verifying that the standards are met. For Dopp, that means regulation by USDA, rather than FDA, for at least the production process.
“If you wonder why I say that, just look at what has happened in the dairy industry with soy milk. FDA does not enforce the rules.”
Dopp voiced his opinion that the makers of plant-based proteins, which are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “are stepping over the line.”
“I could show you photographs of products I have seen in the marketplace that are frankly misbranded. They represent themselves to be meat, and they’re not. They’re plant-based. We brought that to the attention of the government, and they haven’t done anything about it.”
“There’s nothing we can do about that. But we have the ability to help shape the debate when it comes to the cell-based products,” he stressed. “We will be in the same circumstance with cell-based as we are with plant-based if FDA has total control.”
Luckily for the beef industry, the USDA and the FDA announced in November that they will jointly regulate cell-based products. According to the announcement, FDA will oversee cell collection, cell banks, and cell growth and differentiation. The USDA will oversee the production and labeling of food products derived from the cells of livestock and poultry.
The two agencies are working on a memorandum of understanding on the co-management agreement. Dopp noted that the government shutdown has stalled that for the time being.
The planned co-management of cell-based products came out of an unexpected event last year.
“[The cell-based products companies] were adamantly opposed to our position. Why? Because they thought USDA would be a stumbling block to this new technology. Then something happened,” Dopp told the story.
“Memphis Meats came to the Meat Institute and said, ‘We’d like to send a joint letter to the president. We want that letter to say that we want FDA to look at the science and technology, and thereafter these products will be regulated by the USDA.’ Memphis Meats wanted that because they realize the benefits.”
Dopp called that letter, sent to President Donald Trump on Aug. 23, 2018, “a game changer.”
“It shifted the debate completely within the White House and up on Capitol Hill. It is what led to, ultimately, the joint announcement between Secretary [Sonny] Perdue and Commissioner [Scott] Gottlieb saying that USDA and FDA are going to jointly regulate cell-based products. This is a good thing.”
There is a risk to the current split management arrangement, however.
Dopp cited the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association’s petition, issued in February 2018, to define what “meat” and “beef” mean. He called the petition ill-conceived and said that NAMI “adamantly opposes” the petition.
“If granted, all of the cell-based products are going to be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.”
Fake meat markets
Cell-based proteins are not currently available and should not be confused with the plant-based meat look-alike alternative proteins like Beyond Burger and the Impossible Burger, which have been available in grocery stores and/or food service for a year or so.
Dopp cited some cell-based product producers who have estimated market roll-out as early as later this year, though most estimates put it later in 2021-23. However, he also had opinions about where and how cell-based products will appear.
“You’re not going to see [these products] on the grocery store shelves because they can’t compete from a price stand point. Not yet.
“Where you’re going to see them is in food service. High-end restaurants where they are offering a cell-based burger or some sort of chicken product because it’s going to be unique, it’s going to be different. Someone will be willing to give it a try in that circumstance. They are years away from being able to compete, if ever, with a 2-pound chub of ground beef.”
While cell-based products might be years away from being economically competitive with traditional meats, Dopp stressed that the products are coming faster than many think, even if the exact time isn’t known.
“I’ve been in San Francisco on panels and conferences talking about this and some of these companies are getting pretty close. I think we are going to see some of these cell-based products in the market by the end of 2019. We need to have a regulatory system in place to deal with that before they are ready to go.” — Kerry Halladay, WLJ editor
