The US Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) has announced details of their sampling program for cell-cultured meat and poultry products.

Inspection personnel and enforcement officers will sample cultured meat and poultry products, swab food contact surfaces, and conduct environmental monitoring in production facilities to assess process control and compliance with food safety programs. They will collect samples of at least 60g from every other batch until at least ten samples are collected. They will test these for microbiological and chemical contamination using established methods, as outlined in the FSIS Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook and FSIS Chemistry Laboratory Guidebook. They will determine the future sampling rate based on those tests' results.

FSIS requires a safety review of any novel ingredients used post-harvest or substances used pre-harvest that remain in the harvested cells. Food product labels must be submitted to FSIS Labeling and Program Delivery Staff for review and approval.

Vireo Advisors continues to monitor the evolving regulatory landscape for cultured meat, seafood, and other novel foods on behalf of our clients and partners as we support the commercialization of sustainable and healthy products worldwide.