Debate of Cultured Meat Continues

A food product grown from the cells of cattle--is it beef? Is it even meat? Is it safe?  There's also questions about which agency should oversee the product. Would it fall under the direction of the Ag Department, which regulates and inspects livestock products, or the FDA that handles other processed foods?  Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue said it's become a real dilemma.

"We believe that FDA has some equity at the beginning of this process in the laboratory and making sure they're safe products that could be commercialized. When they come to the commercial state, we think that's USDA's responsibility to regulate and to inspect those products and that's what we will work for."

That would cut industry confusion in the matter.

"We could go a long way between FDA and USDA in resolving how we move forward quickly."

Some companies say they're going to be ready to market cultured meat in a year or two, so Purdue says moving quickly is vital.

"We don't want this new technology to feel like they have to go off-shore out of the United States to get a fair, regulatory protocol."

USDA and FDA will hold a joint meeting on the issue later this month.

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