Meat Lobbying Group Argues for USDA Regulation of “Clean Meat”
The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) has filed a federal petition with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in an attempt to keep some meat producers from referring to their products as “meat.” What these producers make is actually known as “clean meat.” Clean meat is meat that is grown by way of technology and animal cells instead of traditional animal slaughter. USCA’s petition to the USDA is somewhat groundbreaking as the group usually tends to oppose any regulation involving meat production.
In addition to banning the use of the term “meat,” USCA would like USDA to be the only agency regulating the small producers that make clean meat. This would mean that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would not be involved in overseeing clean meat. USCA is likely requesting USDA’s supervision of clean meat to keep it from gaining ground and eventually overpowering conventional meat. The FDA, on the other hand, may be more open to the possibilities surrounding clean meat, which USCA probably believes would hurt their industry.
Despite success getting their request added to a draft agriculture bill, some representatives are not sold on allowing USDA to solely and autonomously regulate clean meat, saying that there is not enough known about clean meat to say whether or not its production methods are safe.
See USCA’s petition submitted to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
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