GFI’s statement on clean meat regulation, July 26, 2018
Statement of Jessica Almy, Director of Policy, The Good Food Institute
Regarding Meat and Livestock Groups’ Message to Trump
July 26, 2018
The Good Food Institute supports a clear and efficient pathway to market for clean meat. Regulators have an important role to play in encouraging innovation and ensuring consumer safety and confidence.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has demonstrated the expertise necessary to provide adequate oversight of clean meat. Additionally, it is clear that FDA will have authority over most or all varieties of clean meat fish. Given that the methods of production will be the same, splitting oversight of the same process between two agencies would be duplicative and costly. So it makes sense that FDA would regulate clean beef, chicken, and pork as well.
That said, The Good Food Institute and the companies in this space stand ready to work with whichever regulatory agency ultimately regulates clean meat. What is most important is that there is a single point of entry into the regulatory framework, as the National Academy of Sciences has articulated, and that the path to market is not complicated by red tape or politically driven opposition to innovation that can provide consumers with safe food choices.
We are heartened to see meat companies like Cargill and Tyson invest in clean meat. The big-picture question here is: How will the world produce enough protein to adequately feed almost 10 billion people by 2050? Clean meat and fish are part of the answer, and the United States can play an important role in bringing them to market in a way that is safe, efficient, and fair.
Author
Jessica Almy, J.D.
Jessica Almy, J.D., leads GFI’s Policy and Government Relations team in setting an innovative policy agenda to accelerate progress on alternative proteins. Areas of expertise: regulation, legislation, science and public policy, public health, environmental law, food policy.
