Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 2/2/18

With the growth of alternative proteins, the meat industry has some questions about how lab-grown meat will be federally regulated.
The questions arose here at the International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE) on the heels of Tyson Foods announcing its investment in “cultured meat” — or lab-grown meat — company Memphis Meats. 

Cargill also has invested in Memphis Meats. Meanwhile, major processors like Tyson and Cargill also are investing more and more in plant-based proteins.
The products that Memphis Meats is making — beef, chicken and duck protein developed from animal cells —are not yet on the market. Meanwhile, the North American Meat Institute is trying to determine whether the USDA or FDA will have regulatory jurisdiction. 

It’s a technology, says Mark Dopp, general counsel and vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs the North American Meat Institute, that “is not going away.”
And as that and similar technologies improve, and alternative proteins including lab-grown products gain more market share, the concern is that the playing field is level for all players, Dopp said.

And so some of the questions that arise are:
• If these lab-grown proteins fit within some definition of meat, does the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) have jurisdiction under the Federal Meat Inspection Act?
• Must the original material (stem cell) come from an animal subject to and passed ante-mortem inspection?
• Does the product need to be “produced” in a federally inspected facility?
• If under FSIS jurisdiction, and presuming that product labels will need approval, will there be some kind of disclosure on the label? Also, might the product be considered “bioengineered” under the GMO law?

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