Nebraska Farm Bureau Petitions USDA to Limit the Definition of Beef

LINCOLN, NEB. –  Nebraska Farm Bureau is urging the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to not use the term “meat” when referring to all lab-grown and plant-based meat alternatives. The request to limit the definition of “beef” and “meat” to only products from live animals born, raised, and harvested in the traditional manner, comes from a strong movement to develop and commercialize alternative protein products, particularly “clean meat,” also called lab-grown or cultured meat, and plant-based proteins.

“The production and processing of livestock is of vital importance to our members and our states economy. Nebraska currently ranks first in commercial red meat production (over 8.1 billion lbs/year), commercial cattle slaughter (over 7.4 million head), and all cattle on feed (over 2.7 million head). All of this translates into tens of billions of dollars of economic activity as well as thousands of jobs,” Steve Nelson, Nebraska Farm Bureau president said in a letter to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

“Consumers depend upon the USDA FSIS to ensure that the products they purchase at the grocery store match their label descriptions,” Nelson said. In a letter he specifically

requested FSIS to support the following:

• Prohibit products derived from alternative sources, e.g. synthetic products from plants, insects, non-animal components, and lab-grown animal cells, from being labeled as “beef” or “meat”;
• limit the definition of “meat” to the tissue or flesh of animals that have been harvested in the traditional manner;
• limit the definition of “beef” to products from cattle born, raised, and harvested in the traditional manner; and
• adding the definitions, as identified above, to FSIS’s Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book.

Back in January of 2018, delegates from the American Farm Bureau Federation adopted a policy proposed by delegates from Nebraska which supported the prohibition of the use of “commonly known and industry recognized ‘meat’ terms in the labeling and advertising of all lab-grown and plant-based alternatives.”

“This Nebraska-led effort was originally approved by our voting members, Nebraska farmers and ranchers, at our state annual meeting last December as the production and processing of livestock is of vital importance to our members and our states economy. Nebraska’s farmer and rancher bottom lines and the overall agriculture economy is at risk and we urge FSIS to support this petition,” Nelson said.

The Nebraska Farm Bureau is a grassroots, state-wide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and working for the benefit of all Nebraskans through a wide variety of educational, service and advocacy efforts. More than 61,000 families across Nebraska are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve rural and urban prosperity as agriculture is a key fuel to Nebraska’s economy. For more information about Nebraska Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit www.nefb.org.