The National Farmers Union has sent a second letter to the Food and Drug Administration regarding the labeling of cell-cultured meat. The letter calls for officials to finally formalize the definition of protein products that don’t come from livestock and are currently labeled as cell-cultured 
“meat.”
The industry website Meating Place Dot Com says the group wants the FDA to come up with a consistent standard of identity for meat and related products to prevent mislabeling of meat products in the marketplace.
Farmers Union President Roger Johnson says the common names for meat products are understood by consumers to mean meat from animals that have been slaughtered for food. In the letter, Johnson says the NFU is concerned about the topic because of “extreme consolidation in the beef, pork, and poultry industries, which has diminished the market share of family farmers and ranchers.”
The letter is the second attempt by the NFU to get the federal agency to clarify the difference between products that come from food animals from those that come from a lab. Earlier this year, the NFU joined the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, and the Nebraska Farm Bureau in seeking USDA clarification on the issue.
Source: National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.