USDA announces comment period on animal cell labeling

September 9, 2021

On September 2, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that it would be soliciting comments and information on proposed rulemaking about the labeling of meat and poultry products created from cultured cells.

The announcement follows the 2019 decision between the USDA and FDA to jointly manage policies on human food products made from animal cell culture technology. The decision allowed the FDA to oversee cell collection, growth, and differentiation, then transfer oversight to FSIS at the cell harvest stage. FSIS does not intend to issue any new food safety regulations for food derived from animal cell cultures, only to create new labeling regulations.

Comments are being requested for specific topics to be considered for labeling. These include consumer expectations, nutritional and organoleptic qualities, names for products that are not considered false or misleading, economic data, and any consumer research related to labeling animal cell culture foods. The comment period will be open for 60 days. To comment, visit the FSIS website.