Agricultural News
Danielle Beck Says NCBA Working On Legislation to Protect Consumers from Fake Meat
Fri, 07 Feb 2020 14:18:00 CST
Danielle Beck, director of government affairs for NCBA, has been studying fake meat products for more than two years, and on Friday at the Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio, TX, she told us there has been a lot of progress made in this area.
However, the NCBA is working hard to prevent 2020 from becoming the Year of the Vegan. Beck said she started studying lab-grown fake meat products in 2018, shifted her focus to plant-based proteins in 2019, and now is zeroing in on laws to protect consumers.
The NCBA is working on legislation in both the U.S. House and Senate to prevent 2020 from becoming the Year of the Vegan.
The Real Meat Act and the Real Marketing Edible Artificial Truthfully Act will codify the definition of beef, said Beck. "This will reiterate that plant-based products are required to have the word "imitation" on the front of the package and a disclaimer saying there is no meat in the product," said Beck. "This would allow NCBA to step in and take enforcement action if the FDA fails to do its job," added Beck.
Results from an NCBA online study of 1,800 consumers revealed some surprising information. Over half, 55 percent, of those polled, didn't understand plant-based products were vegan or vegetarian.
"This is a little concerning," said Beck.
When asked to rank various attributes of fake meat versus real meat products, the news is more encouraging.
Specifically, as a great source of protein, and it fits my budget, respondents overwhelmingly selected beef.
"Consumers know beef is a protein-dense food and is affordable," said Beck.
When asked about terms such as natural, healthy, low in sodium, and less processed, 44 percent ranked plant-based products higher than beef.
Beck said that it is obviously worrisome when the exact opposite is true.
"The Reality is plant-based products are 200 to 600 percent higher in sodium," said Beck.
A 4 ounce serving of beef contains 75 milligrams of sodium, while the same size serving of a plant-based product contains 270 to 600 milligrams of sodium.
Beck noted that under current FDA regulations, food producers do not have the legal right to mislead consumers.
"Food producers do not have the right to put marketing over label integrity, and when you look at these plant-based fake meat products, that is exactly what they are doing," said Beck.
The NCBA official said consumers deserve to know the truth and should have choices when it comes to picking their protein sources.
While plant-based products are already broadly available in the marketplace, Beck does not expect cell-based or test tube fake meat products to hit the market anytime soon.
She said there are currently no commercial-sized cell-based products available, and until they are ready for sampling, there is a lot of work to be done before they can be brought to the consumer market.
Click on the LISTEN BAR below to hear the complete interview with Danielle Beck as she talks With Ron Hays.
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