Which agencies work together to investigate food safety issues and provide a framework for shared oversight at harvest for cell cultured meats?

• A. FDA and USDA
• B. FDA and FSIS
• C. EPA and FDA
• D. NIH and CDC

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that regulating cell cultured meat across its development and final product requires coordination between the agency that oversees the safety of the cultured cells and the agency that inspects and regulates meat products at harvest. The FDA handles safety and quality during the early stages of cell culture, including the cell lines and production materials. The final product, once harvested as a meat-type product, falls under the responsibilities of FSIS, which is the USDA agency charged with inspecting and ensuring safety, labeling, and compliance for meat and poultry products. Having these two agencies work together creates a seamless framework from lab development to the supermarket, ensuring the product meets safety standards at every step. The other options don’t fit because they either focus on environmental regulation or health surveillance, or involve USDA in general without the specific shared oversight at harvest.