by Eric Lendrum
With the rise of so-called “lab-grown meat” being promoted as a “green” alternative to actual meat, federal lawmakers are beginning to follow the example set by several states as they push for restrictions on this new concoction.
As reported by the Associated Press, lab-grown meat is not yet available in grocery stores or served in restaurants anywhere in the United States. Several states, including Florida and Arizona, have already passed laws to ban the sale of such products, while Iowa has forbidden the distribution of such food in schools.
In June of 2023, the federal government approved the sale of lab-grown chicken by two California-based startups: Good Meat and Upside Foods. Following this decision, bills were introduced to crack down on fake meat in seven different states.
Meanwhile, a similar effort is now underway in the U.S. Senate. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced a bipartisan bill in January to ban the use of lab-grown meat in school lunch programs.
There have been similar ban efforts in many other countries besides the U.S. Last year, Italy passed a law banning the sale of lab-grown meat. France is considering enacting a similar bill that has already been introduced by lawmakers.
The two aforementioned companies have expressed their disapproval of the new laws, with Good Meat’s Tom Rossmeissl saying that “it’s a shame they are closing the door before we even get out of the gate.” He added that the company is looking at legal options in the event that such bans go into effect.
However, the political backlash may not be the biggest obstacle to lab-grown meat products and companies. The process of manufacturing such experiments is extremely expensive, as they must be grown in steel tanks using either the cells of a living animal, a fertilized egg, or a storage bank. The mix must be fed a particular blend of water, sugar, vitamins, and fats before being fully grown to a stage where it can then be cut down into various shapes and forms. As such, companies like Good Meat and Upside Foods have had to reduce the scale of their production just to keep costs relatively low.
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Eric Lendrum reports for American Greatness.
Photo “Meat in Laboratory” by Ivan Radic. CC BY 2.0.
