The National Chicken Council on Tuesday submitted comments to the Federal Register pertaining to FDA’s request for comment on “Foods Produced Using Animal Cell Culture Technology.” The comments discussed the importance of coordinating regulatory efforts between FDA and FSIS to leverage each agency’s knowledge and expertise.
“FSIS has the statutory authority, relevant experience, and robust regulatory frameworks for overseeing the production of a wide variety of products made using meat or poultry tissues and products represented as being of the meat or poultry industry,” noted NCC. “Through modern Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) frameworks, FSIS’s food safety regulatory framework is flexible enough to oversee production processes ranging from slaughter operations to extraction processes and everything in between. Moreover, FSIS has a detailed and well-developed framework for overseeing the labeling of traditionally-derived meat and poultry products, including claims about product characteristics and methods of production. These frameworks can easily be applied to cell-cultured meat products.”
The comments also highlight the importance of food safety standards and correct labeling which would more-appropriately fall under FSIS oversight. Additionally, the comments provide information on NCC’s existing policy pertaining to these products.
FSIS and FDA will be hosting a joint public meeting on October 23-24 in Washington, DC. NCC will be participating and delivering public comment at this meeting.
The comments can be read in their entirety by clicking here.
