FDA, USDA Announce Joint Meeting on Animal Cell Cultures

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have announced a joint public meeting to discuss “the use of cell culture technology to develop products derived from livestock and poultry.” The meeting, which will be held October 23-24, 2018, will focus on “the potential hazards, oversight considerations, and labeling” of the product category.

Following a conference hosted by the Good Food Institute, cell-based meat brand representatives reportedly agreed to “abandon[] the term ‘clean meat’ in favor of cell-based meat.” “We discussed the pros and cons of the term ‘clean meat,’ and decided to shift our label to ‘cell-based meat,'” a conference attendee reportedly told Food Navigator. “Traditional meat companies can be our biggest ally if they want to work with us. We can help them transition from industrial animal agriculture to cell-based meat. Cell-based meat is a better label to bring them on board.”