Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 7/16/18


An overwhelming number of consumers believe that food products developed from cultured animal cells should carry specific labels about how they are produced or at least as something other than just “meat,” a new Consumer Reports survey found. The survey conducted by scientists at Consumers Union – the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports – said 49 percent of respondents said the products can be labeled as “meat” but with the explanation of origin. Another 40 percent said they should be labeled as something other than simply “meat,” with just 5 percent believing that the products can be labeled as “meat” without any additional explanation.

Consumers reported that given a choice of which labels would be most clear, “lab-grown meat” was preferred by 35 percent of respondents, followed by “artificial or synthetic meat” (34 percent). The least favored descriptive terms were “cultured meat” (11 percent); “clean meat” (9 percent); and “in-vitro meat” (8 percent), according to the survey.

The Consumer Reports survey recommends that federal regulators require pre-market safety testing of all cell-cultured meat products, especially since the nutrient solution used to create the products could become contaminated with disease-causing bacteria, viruses and fungi, among other agents.

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