Which agency would oversee food products incorporating cultured fish and seafood cells in cell cultured meats, and conduct inspections and related activities?

• A. FDA
• B. FSIS
• C. CDC
• D. NIH

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that regulatory oversight for novel cultured foods, including cultured fish and seafood cells, is led by the agency that oversees safety and manufacturing of most foods and seafood products. This agency handles the regulation of new food ingredients, production processes, facility inspections, and labeling—areas crucial for cell cultured meats. For cultured seafood, the FDA is responsible for evaluating safety during development and production, ensuring good manufacturing practices, inspecting facilities, and approving labeling claims. While traditional meat products (and their plants) fall under another agency, cultured meats don’t fit the standard model yet, so the FDA takes the lead in assessing safety and overseeing production. The other agencies don’t fit this role: the agency that handles traditional meat inspections isn’t the primary regulator for these novel products, and the disease-control or biomedical research agencies aren’t the ones charged with daily food safety inspections or product approvals.