K A S H R U T . C O M_©

Florida legislature passes cultivated meat ban

March 6, 2024 - from the Alt-Meat:

"Representatives from the Sunshine State today voted 86-27 to approve the first total ban on the commercial manufacture and sale of cultivated meat in an American state.

"In the Wednesday afternoon vote, the House passed SB 1084, a wide-ranging bill that includes a prohibition on the alternative protein, though it will allow scientific research in the burgeoning field.

"Representatives opposing the bill said the ban protects a powerful industry from a non-existent threat.

"The legislation, which passed the Senate last week, will now head to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk. The Republican leader has been full-throated in his support of the legislation and is expected to sign the bill into law."

(Florida) Senate passes ban on sale of cultivated meat

February 29, 2024 - from the Florida Politics:

"The legislation still allows research into the field, but Republicans rejected a 5-year sunset on the ban.

"Senators voted to make Florida the first state to ban the sale of lab-grown meat. But a majority rejected a proposal to put a five-year sunset on that restriction.

"Republicans in the House and Senate did agree to allow scientific research in the burgeoning field. That should allow Florida programs already in place at NASA and multiple state universities to continue.

"Regardless, critics of the bill fear such a ban on commercial cultivation will have a chilling effect on a field still in its infancy.

"Biotech investors in sustainable foods have lobbied legislative leaders and Gov. Ron DeSantis on the matter, saying a ban would have economic consequences and compromise food security.

"But traditional agriculture advocates have urged extreme caution. The Florida Cattlemen’s Association and other organizations representing Florida farmers say lab-grown meats should not be considered meat, and that far more research must be done before consumers should be allowed to eat it.

"Opponents of the bill also say the legislation would hurt research in allied countries like Israel, where the government has already approved cultivated beef products. Meanwhile, it would aid countries like China, which is making a concerted effort right now to expand its own efforts in the field."

Food fight: Cellular agriculture fears Florida’s proposed ban on cultivated meat

January 31, 2024 - from the Florida Politics:

"If Florida bans cultivated meat, it will be the first in the nation to do so. With food scarcity challenging modern agriculture, those behind the development of alternative protein sources fear this will set a dangerous precedent.

"That hasn’t stopped legislation from plowing forward in the House and Senate. Language completely banning the manufacturing, sale or distribution of cultivated meat now appears in larger agriculture bills in the House (HB 1071) and Senate (SB 1084).

"Leaders in the cultivated meat biotech sector, an industry still in its infancy, say the push to regulate lab-grown chicken, seafood and beef out of existence flies in the face of the conservative economic policies normally embraced by Florida lawmakers. More importantly, it could literally leave the nation starved for alternatives to slow-maturing livestock.

"But leaders within Florida agriculture, one of Florida’s largest industries, say government needs to put lab-grown meat under a statutory microscope.

"For his part. Rep. Danny Alvarez, the Hillsborough Republican running the agriculture package, in the House, said he sees a future for cultivated meat. At a committee hearing last week, he suggested it’s simply not ready for public consumption.

"He also said a sign-off from the FDA isn’t enough to give him confidence that assurance has arrived. From cigarettes to saccharin, Alvarez said, the federal agency has approved and even offered public assurance on the safety of products that later turned out to be carcinogenic.

"So far, Republican lawmakers in committee agreed. The House bill cleared its first committee last week on a 9-5 vote, and the mirror in the Senate advanced through a first stop on a 4-1 vote. Only Democrats to date have voted against the bill, though the cultivated meat ban was frequently cited as the reason.

"The agriculture bill as written would block the sale of Israeli lab-made meats in Florida, and it would prohibit any technology developed there to be employed in the Sunshine State.

"ndustry officials say in every state but Florida, the cultivated meat industry has worked in concert with farmers and traditional agriculture, believing the demands to feed a growing world population will grow as the ability to raise livestock on dwindling farmland diminishes."