Florida is the first to ban lab-grown meat in the state

“The Revolution That Died on Its Way to Dinner” by Joe Fassler was published in the New York Times on March 2. It said the cultured meat industry was ‘never a realistic prospect’.

But Florida still considers it real. Yesterday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning the production and distribution of so-called “lab-grown” meat in the state as a threat to Florida agriculture.

“Take your fake lab meat somewhere else,” DeSantis said. “We don’t do that in the state of Florida.” SB 1084, as signed by DeSantis, is the first bill of its kind to ban lab-grown meat in a state.

Lab-grown meat, which required $3 billion in investment capital between 2016 and 2022, is meat developed from animal stem cells. Although very little has come to market yet, there are as many as sixty startups active in the sector.

Florida’s new law does not include products made with plant-based ingredients.

The Good Food Institute promotes the laboratory industry. People are not enthusiastic about the DeSantis ban.

“We are disappointed that Governor Ron DeSantis signed the criminalization of cultured meat into law in Florida. In a state that supposedly prides itself on being a land of liberty and individual freedom, the government is now telling consumers what meat they can and cannot buy,” the Good Food Institute said in a statement. “This bill sends a terrible message to the investors, scientists and entrepreneurs who built America’s global leadership in alternative proteins.”

Carrie Kabat, Head of Global Communications for GOOD Meat, said: “The law will not stop the development of cultured meat. And GOOD Meat remains committed to its mission: making real meat without having to demolish a rainforest or take a life.”

The GOOD Meat statement continues with the following points:

+The Legislature has not raised any credible safety concerns, and its regulatory agencies have not asked us for clarifying information.

+This is in contrast to the more than three years we have worked with the USDA and FDA to ensure our product is safe for consumers.

+That process led to our approval for commercial sales in the United States last summer.

Florida law has always been focused on helping one industry, “Big Ag,” avoid responsibility and competition.

Today, these multinational corporations and their lobbyists have won. China will also be celebrating as they are closer to overcoming our country’s lead in this emerging sector.

Florida ranks ninth in beef cattle, with 862,000 head, for a total economic impact of more than $900 million annually.

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