While I agree that an outright ban is not the answer, I don’t believe that I trust the FDA has enough information to know if synthetic meat is safe or not harmful.
I also don’t trust the food companies who will be culturing and manipulating will put safety over profits. The processed food industry doesn’t have a good track record and have exhibited little interest in safety and a myopic interest in profits.
I would prefer very strict and prominent labeling laws so consumers can easily identify synthetic food products which would include “Smeat” and any genetically modified or engineered food products.
Personally, I don’t purchase much processed food products and favor raw ingredients. For meats, I spend time reading the labels and am more apt to trust organic group certifications more than the FDA or USDA.
Even then it takes a lot of time and is more effort that most people will be willing to sacrifice. I would personally recommend that synthetic meat not to legally be sold as meat but rather as “Smeat” and require the font size used be prominent and not in tiny fine print where the food company is attempting to hide the fact from the consumer.
Similarly, the menu at a restaurant should be required to include “Smeat” or for GMO’s that it contains genetically modified or engineered food products.
While over time much of these products may prove to be not harmful, we will not know for several decades if there are any unintended side effects and consequences.
I even concede that “Smeat” may be vital for lengthy interstellar travel such as a trip to Mars.
