Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 7/12/18

Today is the day the government formally dives into the burgeoning world of lab-grown or cell cultured meat products. The FDA is hosting an all-day public meeting out at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in College Park, Md., to get input on how to regulate the nascent sector, which takes cells from animals that have traditionally been raised for food and grows them into tissue that can be used to make burgers, chicken nuggets and even spicy tuna rolls.

The FDA forum is an unusually proactive step for Washington, which tends to lag behind in regulating new technologies, and one that has enormous implications for the burgeoning industry, reports Pro Ag's Helena Bottemiller Evich, who will be covering the meeting today.

Gov't still divided: Both FDA and USDA regulators believe they have jurisdiction over the products, and they joust in remarkably public fashion for control. FDA tried to stake a claim last month by declaring it has jurisdiction over the products and calling today's public meeting on the topic — a surprise move that angered USDA officials and many in the meat industry. The White House has since worked to bring USDA and FDA together on the issue, but it's unclear whether those efforts have produced a working plan.

A packed house: What might typically be a staid regulatory meeting is expected to draw hundreds of people, from die-hard animal welfare advocates to longtime cattle ranchers and scores of food industry lawyers. The FDA is asking for input on what should be considered to ensure cultured meat and seafood products are safe to eat, including what ingredients might be used and how the process works.

Ranchers have some questions: "I don't care if they make it, but they should come up with their own name," said Maggie Nutter, a cattle rancher in Sweetgrass, Mont., who flew into Washington to speak at the FDA meeting. Many producers like Nutter fume over what they see as Silicon Valley startups trying to upend their industry — and lifeblood. "Their goal is to eliminate animal agriculture — they clearly state that — how can you not feel some animosity?" she said. Nutter swung by POLITICO HQ on Wednesday and said she has many, many questions about for FDA and the industry.

Hurdles remain: There are a number of technical challenges to getting cultured animal proteins into the global food system at scale even before potential regulatory hurdles. One biggie: The sector has long been reliant on using fetal bovine serum as a growth medium for the tissues it grows, but the pricey input undermines the sector's goal of making meat without the need for animals to be part of the equation. Both JUST and Memphis Meats are believed to have found other mediums.

Producers are particularly skeptical of claims that cultured products will use drastically less land, water and energy than their conventional counterparts. "Show me the research," Nutter said. "How do you know? You don't even know what medium you're using."