Why did Florida ban lab-grown meat?

Cultured meat, commonly known as “lab-grown meat,” is at a turning point. Chicken grown in a lab and beef grown from cells in a petri dish remain unavailable to general consumers, although the former has been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.2 American restaurants in San Francisco and Washington DC It already offers a selection of cultured meats on its menu, but could add more if prices start to drop. But new artificial meat bans are gaining traction, primarily in conservative-led states, and threaten to derail the industry’s momentum, which is still in its infancy.

This week, Florida officially became the first state to follow through on a threat to ban cultured meat.Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed into law It would be illegal to manufacture, sell, possess, or distribute artificial meat in the state. Those who violate the new law could be charged with a misdemeanor. Similar legislation is currently being debated. Alabama, Arizona, Tennessee. If these bills are enacted, violators could face imprisonment or fines.

“Florida is fighting back against plans by world elites to force the world to eat meat and insects grown in petri dishes to achieve authoritarian goals,” DeSantis said at a press conference Wednesday. ” he said. “We protect the beef.”

Why would a Republican-led state want to ban lab-grown meat?

Republican lawmakers who broadly oppose cultured meat are trying to link the industry to a larger culture war. Mr. DeSantis said: explained before It treats lab-grown meat as “part of an overall ideological agenda” and claims it threatens ranchers. Supporters of the law, like Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Wilton Simpson, have called lab-grown meat “a shameful attempt to undermine our proud heritage and prosperity.” called.

Lawmakers and cultured meat critics have also questioned the safety of lab-grown meat, but their arguments often lack evidence. The most common criticism regarding the safety of lab-grown meat revolved around the use of the so-called .eternalCells during the culture process. These particular types of cells can essentially reproduce indefinitely. This is useful for cultured meat startups that want to grow large amounts of meat from small samples. It may also sound eerily similar to the process of rapid cell renewal that causes cancer.

Industry critics pounced on the supposed connection, insinuating that eating lab-grown meat could cause cancer. There is currently no evidence to support these claims.Food regulators in the US, Australia and Singapore have determined cultured meat is safe to eat, and cancer researchers say talk to bloomberg businessweek Last year, he said it was “essentially impossible” to get cancer from eating cultured meat. Still, that didn’t stop critics from leaning toward that classification. Recent advertising campaigns seeking to discredit the industry are based on this theory. It reportedly depicts students participating in a science fair. Claims cells in cultured meat are ‘growing like tumors’ and ‘rotting'[ed] using chemicals. ”

The Republican-led backlash against lab-grown meat goes beyond a total ban. More than a dozen states are trying to regulate how lab-grown meat companies can limit the branding of their products. Some states, such as Kentucky, Maine, and Mississippi, have advanced regulations that prohibit companies from using the word “meat” on their labels. Others are asking cultured meat companies to disclose their packaging. At the federal level, Democratic Sen. Jon Tester and Republican Sen. Mike Rounds are neck and neck. Laws introduced It calls for banning cultured meat from public school lunch and breakfast programs. All of this is happening despite the fact that lab-grown meat is not yet commercially available to consumers in the United States.

Hasty ban threatens cultured meat innovation

Supporters of lab-grown meat say laws like the one recently introduced in Florida could hinder a nascent industry before it reaches its full potential. ing. The Good Food Institute, a nonprofit organization that supports cultured meat initiatives, said: pop science Such laws take away choice from consumers and limit innovation that could lead to new jobs.

“Cultivated meat produced in the United States has been rigorously tested and determined to be safe by the USDA and Food and Drug Administration. So why would a politician with no experience in food safety interfere in an area that is not his or her position? ” said Pepin Andrew Tuma, Legislative Director of the Good Food Institute. “Floridians should decide for themselves what kind of meat they want to eat, and not be limited by government overreach. The Sunshine State’s quirky decision to keep the state open deserves praise.” It casts a long shadow over ambition.”

Good Meat, a leading lab-grown meat startup aiming to develop cultured chicken, echoed those concerns, calling the law “a setback for everyone.”

“In a state that prides itself on being a land of freedom and individual freedom, the government is dictating to consumers what meat they can and cannot buy.” Good Meat said in a statement published in X.
When it comes to lab-grown meat broadly, there are still more questions than answers. Industry proponents say it can make agriculture more sustainable and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, according to recent research, It’s too early to tell if that’s true. Some say lab-grown meat could one day provide carnivores with an ethical alternative to eating meat that reduces animal suffering. But its envisioned future depends largely on whether lab-grown meat companies can significantly lower prices and improve the taste of their products at the same time.lab grown meat You can also request Because the blood comes from cow fetuses, it is not completely free from ethical oversight. These barriers are difficult enough to overcome alone, even in the most permissive legal environment. A statewide ban on cultured meat threatens to make an already difficult dilemma even more difficult.