Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 10/19/20

The North American Meat Institute and the Alliance for Meat, Poultry and Seafood Innovation, the trade group representing the burgeoning cell-based protein industry, joined forces today to back a mandatory labeling requirement for cell-based meat and poultry products.

First in MA: “Although these products have not yet come to market in the U.S., market entry is fast approaching, and there is significant interest in the regulation of these products, particularly regarding applicable labeling requirements,” the groups wrote in a letter to Mindy Brashears, undersecretary for food safety.

The power duo said they are “committed to supporting and complying with principles that ensure labeling is truthful and not misleading, does not disparage cell-based/cultured or conventional products, enables consumers to distinguish between such products, and is consistent with the safety and nutritional qualities of the product.”

In the letter, the groups recommended USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issue an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to get more info and data on the products to help the agency work on the labeling issue.

In case you missed it: MarketWatch recently featured some of the leading companies in this particularly hot food-tech space . Also, plant-based Impossible Foods CEO Pat Brown continues to dismiss the entire sector, telling The Spoon last week: “It’s never going to be a thing. I’d put any amount of money on that.”