Alabama becomes the second state in the United States to reject cultivated meat, an alternative protein derived from animal cells.
Sen. Jack Williams, vice chair of the Senate Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee, introduced the Alabama measure, which Gov. Kay Ivy signed into law on May 7, outlaws “the manufacture, sale, or distribution of food products made from cultured animal cells.”
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The new rule comes only a week after Gov. Ron DeSantis made Florida the first state to prohibit the sale of so-called lab-grown meat. “We stand with agriculture; we stand with cattle ranchers; we stand with our farmers because we understand it’s important for the state’s backbone,” DeSantis stated at a press conference on May 1, the first day of National Beef Month.
“Today, Florida is fighting back against the global elite’s plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish or bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals,” said DeSantis.
According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the sale of beef cattle and breeding stock generates more than $900 million in revenue each year.
Beef production is a topic of discussion in climate change talks because it contributes significantly to global methane emissions. “A single cow produces between 154 and 264 pounds of methane gas per year,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Multiplying it by the 1.5 billion beef cattle farmed worldwide yields at least 231 billion pounds of methane released into the atmosphere each year.
Cell-based protein, on the other hand, does not require the land, water, or crops needed to raise cattle, which is beneficial to the environment as global meat demand rises, according to experts. According to the Good Food Institute, global financing for cultured meat and seafood enterprises, which number over 100, will reach $225.9 million in 2023, bringing the total to more than $3 billion since 2013.
“Legislation that bans cultivated meat is a reckless move that ignores food safety experts and science, stifles consumer choice, and impedes American innovation,” said Sean Edgett, Upside Foods’ chief legal officer, in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. “Major meat businesses have invested in cultured meat to strengthen their supply chains and meet growing global meat demand.” We should embrace innovation for a brighter food future.”
Upside, one of only two cultured meat companies approved by the USDA to sell chicken products in the United States, has received funding from food giants Cargill and Tyson Foods, as well as billionaires Richard Branson and Bill Gates.
In reaction to the Alabama and Florida bans, Upside implemented a change.org petition asking customers to persuade lawmakers “to stop policing” their meal plates.
