From the editors of Feedstuffs
Lawmakers take aim at lab-grown “dairy” products
Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D- Wisc., and Jim Risch, R- Idaho, are speaking out against what they say is unfair mislabeling of non-dairy products using dairy names. The two have penned an open letter to FDA commissioner FDS commissioner Rober Califf. In it, they say they have “strong concerns” over new cell-based imitation dairy products coming on the market.
“For decades FDA has allowed non-dairy products to illegally use dairy terms to label their imitation products, most of which are nutritionally inferior to the real dairy foods they purport to emulate,” the letter says. “Public health is now facing a new, additional perpetrator – Cell-based dairy imitation products. These are synthetically created options posing as natural foods, many of which are nutritionally inferior to the dairy products they imitate.”
They go on the say that new developments in food science should advance new and innovative products, not cause “deeper injury to public health.” At the end, the Senators urged Califf to enforce dairy standards of identity and stop synthetic imitation products form using dairy terms.
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FDA releases new animal and veterinary innovation agenda
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released its new animal and veterinary innovation agenda on Friday. Agency officials say it is a new step that will further modernize FDA’s approach to evaluating and supporting the development of innovative animal and veterinary products. They add it will also increase regulatory flexibility, predictability and efficiency.
The plan has four objectives, including supporting technologies and products that address high-priority needs, aligning regulatory pathways to the modern landscape, and addressing gaps to new technologies and emerging health threats. The plan also aims to enhance the One Health program, which focuses on the interconnections between humans, animals, plants and their shared environment.
FDA commissioner Robert Califf says the agency is committed to helping developers bring products to market that enhance public health, addressing gaps specific to new technologies and emerging health threats.
Upside Foods has announced it is building its first commercial factory for cultivated meat, called Rubicon, in Chicago, Illinois. The “monumental move” not only signifies a significant step towards achieving Upside’s vision but also promises to revolutionize food production, the company said.
Situated in Glenview, Illinois, the 187,000-square-foot facility will start by producing ground cultivated chicken products, with plans to expand to other species and formats in the future. The facility will have an initial capacity of millions of pounds of cultivated meat products. It will be equipped to accommodate cultivators with capacities of up to 100,000 liters, stands as a pinnacle of excellence in commercial cultivated meat production. Leveraging insights gleaned from our Engineering, Production, and Innovation Center (EPIC) in California, the new factory is poised to become a beacon of knowledge in large-scale cultivated meat production. leverages the management and geography of the individual animals to ultimately enable better decision-making.
VIEW SLIDE SHOW: Cattle cycle contraction spurs record-high cattle futures
Low herd numbers, in part due to drought in cattle-producing regions, have sustained high prices of late, signaling the throes of the contraction phase of the cattle cycle, according to the CME Group. In response, heifer retention and eventual herd rebuilding are expected in the coming years, but until this occurs, even tighter U.S. cattle supplies are expected to send prices higher.
