Letter advises on new meats

Let FDA, USDA have roles, it says

The North American Meat Institute and Memphis Meats Inc., a producer of food products made from animal cells, have joined forces to oppose the idea that a single federal food agency should have exclusive jurisdiction over cell-based meat products.

In a letter sent Thursday, they asked President Donald Trump to clarify the regulatory framework for food products commonly called cultured, clean or "fake" meat. The U.S. is the world leader in protein production, but it cannot "maintain that position without regulatory clarity," the letter said.

Historically, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has overseen beef, pork and poultry products, while the Food and Drug Administration took care of everything else, including dairy and fish products. But with the introduction of cell-cultured meat products, questions have risen over which agency should oversee their production.

Instead of picking one regulatory agency over the other, Uma Valeti, co-founder and chief executive officer of Memphis Meats, and Barry Carpenter, president and chief executive officer of the meat institute, urged Trump and his administration to consider shared regulatory duties.

"It is imperative that the agencies coordinate and collaborate in their efforts, consistent with established policy," they wrote, citing an agreement made in January that both food agencies cooperate to curb unnecessary regulatory burdens.

They suggested a framework that plays to the strengths of the two agencies. The letter said the FDA should have oversight over pre-market safety evaluations for cell-based meat products, and the USDA should regulate them, as it does with all other meat products.

In the letter, the executives of Memphis Meats and the institute asked Trump and his administration to schedule a meeting with the USDA, FDA and conventional and cell-based meat stakeholders to solidify a regulatory framework.

This comes a month after the FDA held a public meeting to air concerns and address how cell-based meat ought to be regulated.

Politicians and farm and food critics for months have weighed-in on why one agency should have jurisdiction over the other. Several farm and industry groups, including the meat institute, have expressed that the USDA ought to have oversight over any foods labeled as "meat," including those made from animal muscle cells.

Meanwhile, food giants such as Tyson Foods are investing in cell-based meat startups in preparation for the day the products are market ready.

Travis Justice, of the Arkansas Farm Bureau, said he is a proponent of USDA oversight because of the way the FDA has handled the labeling of dairy-free milk products and cheese products. Farm advocates make the case that liquids made from nuts should not be labeled as milk, and they worry that same logic will spill over into the labeling of foods made from cultured cells.

"No one's advocating these products shouldn't exist, but we want people to compete on an equitable basis as long as it's labeled properly," Justice said.

The Good Food Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit focused on food alternatives, isn't choosing between the USDA or the FDA. Based on research from the National Academy of Sciences, the institute supports a clear regulatory path for cell-based foods no matter the assigned agency, or agencies.

"The path to market should not be complicated by red tape or politically driven opposition to innovation," Jessica Almy, a director of policy for the Good Food Institute, said in a statement. "Regulators should focus on providing consumers with safe food choices rather than protecting entrenched interests."

Business on 08/25/2018

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