Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson, on behalf of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, submitted public comments to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding the use of cellular agriculture to manufacture products derived from livestock and poultry stem cells.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and USDA have joint authority in overseeing the production of cell-cultured food products derived from livestock and poultry. The two federal agencies are actively refining the technical details of the regulatory framework. As a result, Commissioner Gipson submitted public comments to express concerns regarding food standards of identity and consumer safety that impact Mississippi’s farmers, ranchers and consumers.
“As this new technology arises, I have asked the FDA and USDA to ensure consumer protection and to enforce truth-in-labeling laws and standards of identity for cell-cultured food products,” said Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson. “The state’s meat industry is very important to our agriculture community. These comments do not represent an attempt to prevent new and emerging technologies from entering the marketplace. However, it is imperative that FDA and USDA consider potential hazards and food safety concerns before these products are available for retail consumption, and truth-in-labeling and standards of identify must be enforced so that consumers can make educated purchasing decisions.”
The comments submitted by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce are available for viewing at https://bit.ly/2RxSnQP. A joint statement from the FDA and USDA regarding regulation of cell-cultured food products is available at https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm626117.htm.
Letter With Comments Submitted to USDA by yallpolitics on Scribd
Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson Press Release
12/3/2018
Sarah Ulmer
