National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Jennifer Houston released the following statement in response to the formal agreement announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on lab-grown fake meat oversight:
“The formal agreement announced today (03-07-19) solidifies USDA’s lead oversight role in the production and labeling of lab-grown fake meat products. This is what NCBA has been asking for, and it is what consumers deserve. Under the terms of the agreement, USDA will be responsible for inspecting all facilities that harvest, process, package, or label cell-cultured products derived from livestock or poultry. All product labels will also be subject to USDA’s pre-approval and verification process. We look forward to working collaboratively with the USDA and FDA on next steps, including the development of a more detailed framework concerning the cell harvest stage. Ensuring that all lab-grown fake meat products are safe and accurately labeled remains NCBA’s top priority.”