It’s Alive: The Legislative Response to Cell-Cultured Synthetic Meat

The meat industry is one of the most significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and advocates argue that reducing meat consumption can help reduce emissions and slow atmospheric warming. However, American meat consumption keeps growing. In 2014, Americans ate an average of 235 pounds of meat per person. That number grew every year and reached 264 pounds of meat per person in 2020. Given these demonstrated consumer preferences for meat, some companies have begun researching ways to grow meat in a laboratory environment, hoping to meet demand while bypassing some of its largest climate impacts. This type of product is referred to as “cell-cultured meat.” Though cell-cultured meat was only given federal regulatory approval in 2023, and isn’t yet available in any grocery store, its proponents are working hard to bring it into the mainstream.

These efforts have been met with a legislative response, with lawmakers in several states introducing legislation to ban, limit, or regulate cell-cultured meat. Thus far this year, we’ve identified 28 bills in 16 states pertaining to cell-cultured meat. 

How States are Regulating Synthetic Meat

Outright Bans on the Manufacturing or Sale of Synthetic Meat

Bills restricting the sale of cell-cultured meat take two general approaches to the topic: first, outright bans on the sale of cell-cultured meat, and second, labeling or other disclosure requirements. Legislators in seven states have introduced bills this session banning the manufacture and/or sale of cell-cultured meat: Alabama (SB 23), Arizona (HB 2121), Florida (HB 1071, SB 586, SB 1084), Iowa (HF 2376), Kentucky (HB 597), New Mexico (HB 169) and Tennessee (HB 2860, SB 2870). On May 1, 2024, Governor Ron DeSantis (R) of Florida signed SB 1084 into law, banning the sale or production of cell-cultured meat anywhere in the state. But although outright bans do appear to have some degree of momentum, they still constitute the minority of bills that have been introduced on this topic.

Labeling Requirements for Synthetic Meat

The more common approach seems to be to require cell-cultured and other alternative meat products to be labeled as such, giving consumers the opportunity to be informed about exactly what they’re buying. In Minnesota, the imaginatively-named “G.R.O.S.S. Act,” introduced as SF 4291 by Senator Torrey N. Westrom, establishes specific labeling requirements for cell-cultured or insect-based food products and requires them to be displayed separately from other products in the grocery store. (Oddly, that acronym doesn’t actually appear to stand for anything, in either the title or the text of the bill.)

Why Are These Bills Being Introduced?

Critics of cell-cultured meat offer several rationales for their opposition. Supporters of the new Florida law, including Governor DeSantis, argued that it is necessary to protect the state’s cattle industry. Beef production is a major part of the Florida economy, and Florida has the ninth-highest number of beef cattle out of any state. Several suggested more spiritual reasons for their skepticism of cell-cultured meat. Florida Representative Tyler Sirois (R), who introduced a similar bill last year, called cell-cultured meat “an affront to nature and creation,” while Representative Dean Black (R), a cattle rancher, argued “Cultured meat is made by man. Real meat is made by God himself." The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Danny Alvarez (R), also raised safety concerns, telling a House committee that “As of today, the unknowns are so great. There are no long-term studies.”

Expect More Activity in 2024 and Future Legislative Sessions 

Notably, the pace of the introduction of bills on this topic has picked up significantly this session, signaling an increased legislative interest in the issue. From the beginning of 2019 to the start of the current sessions, we identified a total of 27 bills on the subject of cell-cultured meat, the same number as are currently active just in the current sessions. Further, only one of those previous 27 bills was a complete ban on these products, compared to the eight that are currently under consideration. We’ll likely continue to see bills like this as further industry innovation occurs in the pursuit of fighting climate change.

Tracking State Food Legislation 

MultiState’s team is actively identifying and tracking food-related issues like this so that businesses and organizations have the information they need to navigate and effectively engage. If your organization would like to further track this or other related issues, please contact us.