Erik Hedrick, Ph.D. is an Associate Scientist at food safety consulting firm Burdock Group, headquartered in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Hedrick received his Ph.D. in Toxicology. He has more than eight years of toxicology experience and over 12 years of experience in molecular biology and biochemistry. His experience has enabled him to conduct safety and risk assessments and provide consultation in the food ingredient, health, and novel food industries.
Cultivated meat (i.e., cell-cultured meat) has been promoted as an alternative to the livestock industry as a more sustainable, safer, and healthier means of food production. However, several regulatory and safety hurdles must be addressed for cultivated meat to reach the commercial market, as it has not yet been declared safe for consumption in the U.S. Safety considerations for cell-cultured meat include the components utilized (the raw ingredients, the source of cells, scaffolds, and bioreactors), the introduction of adventitious agents, and the presence of drug/chemical residues in the final food product.
