,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dhha ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,october #bh1 #bjai,mr4 ,marshall 7for himself and ,mr4 ,brindisi7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,federal ,food1 ,drug1 and ,cosmetic ,act to ensure that consumers can make informed decisions in choosing between meat products such as beef and imitation meat products1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,real ,marketing ,edible ,artificials ,truthfully ,act of #bjai or the ,real ,,meat ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,findings ,the ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,traditionally1 food standards of identity and composition have provided a framework for identifying products and helping to ensure these products meet consumer expectations regarding composition and characteristics1 as well as safety4 7#b7 ,the legislative intent of standards of identity is to ensure product integrity and prevent economic adulteration4 ,both consumers and industry have relied on the current system of standards since the enactment in #aich of the ,federal ,food1 ,drug1 and ,cosmetic ,act 7in this section referred to as the ,,ffdca7 7#eb ,stat4 #ajdj74 7#c7 ,the ,federal ,meat ,inspection ,act 7in this section referred to as the ,,fmia7 grants the ,department of ,agriculture 7in this section referred to as the ,,usda7 sole regulatory authority over all meat and meat food products4 7#d7 ,section #ajjb of the ,federal ,food1 ,drug1 and ,cosmetic ,act 7#ba ,u4,s4,c4 #cib7 limits the regulatory authority of the ,food and ,drug ,administration 7in this section referred to as the ,,fda7 to all meat and meat food products not otherwise regulated by the ,,usda under the ,federal ,meat ,inspection ,act1 ,poultry ,products ,inspection ,act1 or the ,egg ,products ,inspection ,act4 7#e7 ,both ,,usda and ,,fda are responsible for enforcing a universal standard that labels are truthful and not misleading4 7#f7 ,several applicable terms are defined in law or regulation including-- 7,a7 the term meat food product defined in section #a of the ,federal ,meat ,inspection ,act 7#ba ,u4,s4,c4 #fja72 7,b7 the terms meat1 meat broker1 and meat byproduct defined in section #cja4b of #ag title #i1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations2 7,c7 the term beef defined as the flesh of cattle in section #c of the ,beef ,research and ,information ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #bijb72 and 7,d7 the term beef products defined as edible products produced in whole or in part from beef1 exclusive of milk and milk products produced therefrom1 in such section #c 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #bijb74 7#g7 ,the definitions of beef and beef products were established under the ,beef ,research and ,information ,act for the purpose of strengthening the beef industry's position in the marketplace and to maintain and expand domestic and foreign markets and uses for beef and beef products only4 7#h7 ,the lack of any ,federal definition of beef or beef products for the purposes of meat food product labeling has led some to begin marketing imitation products as meat or beef1 creating the opportunity for marketplace confusion and consumer fraud that ,congress originally charged the various ,federal food regulatory agencies with the duty to prevent4 7#i7 ,imitation products labeled as beef or as beef products create confusion in the marketplace4 ,these products are in direct violation of the ,congressional ,findings and ,declaration of ,policy authorized under section #b of the ,beef ,research and ,information ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #bija7 and undermine the integrity of that ,act4 #c4 ,labeling of imitation meat products ,the ,federal ,food1 ,drug1 and ,cosmetic ,act is amended by inserting after section #djc;,c of such ,act 7#ba ,u4,s4,c4 #cdc-c7 the following3 #djc;,d4 ,labeling of imitation meat products 7a7 ,in general ,notwithstanding the provision of section #djc7;c71 any imitation meat food product1 beef1 or beef product shall be deemed to be misbranded unless its label bears1 in type of uniform size and prominence1 the word imitation immediately before or after the name of the food and a statement that clearly indicates the product is not derived from or does not contain meat4 7b7 ,coordination with secretary of agriculture 7#a7 ,notification of misbranding ,if the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services finds that food is misbranded under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services shall within #fj days of such finding transmit a notice of such finding to the ,secretary of ,agriculture4 7#b7 ,enforcement failure ,if the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services fails1 within #cj days of transmitting a notice under paragraph 7#a71 to initiate an enforcement action1 the ,secretary of ,agriculture may treat each such finding of misbranding under subsection 7a7 of this ,act as a finding of misbranding under section #a7n7 of the ,federal ,meat ,inspection ,act4 7c7 ,rule of construction ,this section shall not be construed as limiting the authority of the ,secretary of ,agriculture to take enforcement or other action under the ,federal ,meat ,inspection ,act or other applicable law4 7d7 ,definition ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the term beef or beef product means any product containing edible meat tissue harvested in whole form from domesticated ,bos indicus or ,bos taurus cattle4 7#b7 ,the term imitation meat food product is any product manufactured to appear as a meat food product or any food product which approximates the aesthetic qualities 7primarily texture1 flavor1 and appearance7 and_/or chemical characteristics of specific types of meat but does not contain any meat1 meat food product1 or meat byproduct ingredients4 7#c7 ,the term meat means meat as such term is used in the ,federal ,meat ,inspection ,act4 7#d7 ,the term meat food product has the meaning given to that term in section #a of the ,federal ,meat ,inspection ,act4 4