Which agencies would have oversight at harvest for livestock and poultry cells for cell cultured meat?

• A. USDA in coordination with FSIS
• B. FDA in coordination with FSIS
• C. FDA
• D. CDC

Answer: (B)

At harvest, the safety oversight for cell cultured meat comes from a collaboration between the agency that regulates biological starting materials and the agency that inspects meat products. The FDA leads on the safety of the cell sources themselves—the donor animals, the cell lines, and the culture conditions used to grow those cells—ensuring they are free from contamination and produced under appropriate controls. Once those cells are processed into a product that resembles meat, the final product falls under the meat and poultry safety framework, which is overseen by FSIS. FSIS ensures that the finished cultured meat product meets the same safety, labeling, and inspection standards that apply to conventional meat and poultry. The CDC is not responsible for regulating food safety in this context. So, oversight at harvest is best described as FDA in coordination with FSIS.