At the Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, caught up with the President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Todd Wilkinson, and talked about labeling and inspection of cell-based products.
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“It is great to see the grassroots come together and understand that they need to give us policy and direction,” Wilkinson.
The good news, Wilkinson said, is that the urgency to act on the issues regarding cell-based products is great.
“Nobody wants the public misled into eating something that comes out of a bio refractor, I call it goop, and you know if down the road that stuff ends up in the meat counter and it is labeled as ground beef, we have lost the argument,” Wilkinson said. “We have got to fight the fight now, and we have to get both regulatory labeling clear, and we have got to get the consumer protection part clear.”
Wilkinson said the FDA will require inspectors at bio refractors for these cell-based products, similar to how USDA inspectors are required at packing plants.
“I am not sure how that looks,” Wilkinson said. “I guess you stand by a big vat and watch them pour the goop into the big vat.”
For these cell-based products, Wilkinson said it will be important for consumers to know what ingredients are being used, just like any other product at the grocery store.
“That label is what is going to be the hard part and what you call this stuff,” Wilkinson said. “Don’t call it beef. It’s not beef.”
Read the full press release from NCBA below:
Cattle Producers Direct NCBA Action on Cell-Cultured Products
On July 26, 2023, the members of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) passed a directive at the NCBA Summer Business Meeting to continue the association’s advocacy efforts on transparent labeling and inspection of cell-cultured protein products.
“Cattle producers are not afraid of a little competition, and I know that consumers will continue choosing real high-quality beef over cell-cultured imitations,” said NCBA President Todd Wilkinson, a South Dakota cattle producer. “Our priority is ensuring that consumers accurately know the difference between real beef and cell-cultured products through transparent and accurate labeling. We have already been successful at engaging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct robust inspections and oversight to protect food safety.”
This directive was brought forward by the Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association, California Cattlemen’s Association, and Florida Cattlemen’s Association and passed at the Summer Business Meeting. All policies passed at this meeting will be forwarded to NCBA’s general membership for a full vote in the fall. This grassroots policy process ensures that NCBA’s policy positions reflect the views of cattle producers.
Background
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) issued two grants of inspection to companies producing cell-cultured chicken imitation products. These grants of inspection permit companies producing cell-cultured products to sell their products in interstate commerce. While no cell-cultured imitations of beef have received a grant of inspection, we are aware of several companies attempting to create these products.
NCBA previously advocated for USDA oversight of cell-cultured meat and was pleased to see FSIS inspecting these products as opposed to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). USDA inspections occur more frequently and hold these companies to a higher food safety standard. Moving forward, NCBA will be urging Congress to set labeling requirements, so cell-cultured products are clearly distinguishable from real beef and to prevent confusion or misrepresentation about these products.
