The Cattle Industry Is Having a Cow Over Whether Lab-Grown Meat Should Be Called Meat

The USDA (responsible for overseeing agriculture) and the FDA (regulating drugs and dietary supplements) both could have some say in how lab-grown meat is labeled.

• From a production standpoint, cultured meat is more in line with the way drugs and additives are made in a lab.
• From a final product, if lab-grown meat is going to end up next to the traditionally slaughtered meat, the USDA should take charge.

Lab-grown meat companies say that their lab-grown meat is real meat because it comes from an animal and has the same biochemical makeup as meat.

Others argue that real meat is from a harvested animal. They are against the hijacking of the term "meat." 

Apart from labels like clean meat or cultured meat, companies might be asked to add clarifying language to their packaging that explains that the meat was grown in a lab. 

Lab-grown meat companies believe that this kind of meat will replace slaughterhouses altogether. They hope to see lab-grown meat next to traditional meat without any kind of disclaimers.