(The Center Square) – Texas will become the seventh state to ban the production and sale of lab-grown meat in September.
Florida was the first, followed by Alabama last year. This year, five more states, including Texas, followed.
They did so after the Trump administration took the opposite approach. In 2019, the first Trump administration was the first in U.S. history to begin the process to authorize lab-grown chicken, seafood and beef in the U.S.
In 2023, under former President Joe Biden, the U.S. became the second country in the world to approve the production and sale of lab-grown meat.
Recognizing the importance of the Texas cattle industry and health concerns expressed by Texans, state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, filed SB 261 to ban the sale of lab-grown meat in Texas. The bill, which includes civil and criminal penalties, received bipartisan support and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott last month. It becomes effective Sept. 1.
“The introduction of lab-grown meat could disrupt traditional livestock markets, affecting rural economies and family farms,” Perry’s bill analysis states. “There are concerns over transparency in labeling, risk of contamination, and the long-term health impacts of consuming cell-cultured products.” The measure prohibits the production and sale of cell-cultured protein products in Texas “to protect consumers and support traditional agriculture.”
“Cell-cultured protein is made by harvesting animal cells and growing them in a bioreactor to produce tissue-based food products,” the analysis explains.
Earlier this year, the Texas legislature passed a resolution officially recognizing a “State Steak of Texas,” highlighting Texas as “the birthplace of many iconic culinary traditions, including those tied to cattle drives, chuck wagons, and steak houses, all of which have cemented steak as an integral part of the state’s culture and cuisine,” The Center Square reported.
Texas remains the undisputable leader with the most beef cattle in the U.S., representing nearly 15% of the national beef market, The Center Square reported. Texas cattle, including beef and dairy, are Texas’ top agricultural commodity, representing $15.5 billion in market value in 2022, according to state agriculture data.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was the first governor in the country to sign a lab-grown meat ban last year in an effort to protect the state’s cattle and agricultural industry. Alabama wasn’t far behind.
This year, five more states followed. In February, South Dakota’s governor signed its ban into law. In March, Mississippi’s ban was approved. In May, Nebraska’s ban was signed into law. In July, Indiana implemented a two-year ban on lab-grown meat.
Georgia attempted to implement a ban this year, HB 201, which went nowhere this legislative session. Arizona passed a bill this year, HB 2739, requiring labeling on all cell-grown products.
State legislative action was taken after the first Trump administration’s departments of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and Health and Human Services’ Food and Drug Administration announced a formal agreement to jointly oversee the production of human food products derived from the cells of livestock and poultry. The regulatory framework directed the FDA to oversee “cell collection, cell banks, and cell growth and differentiation.”
By 2023, the Biden administration continued the Trump administration’s work. Its FDA and USDA approved California-based Upside Foods and Good Meat to sell cell-based chicken products, which are currently being sold in restaurants nationwide.
Upside Foods sued Florida last year arguing its ban is unconstitutional. A federal judge allowed the lawsuit to go forward this April. It remains unclear if the California company or others like it will sue the seven states that have so far implemented bans.
Last month, the second Trump administration continued the efforts it began in 2019 when the FDA and USDA approved a San Francisco-based cell-based seafood company Wildtype to market its products that are currently being served in restaurants. It was approved after agri-giant Cargill and partners invested more than $100 million to launch an “alternative to salmon,” Just Food reported.
Although the U.S. began its process in 2019, Singapore was the first country in the world to officially authorize the production of lab-grown meat in 2020. The U.S. was the second in 2023.
Last year, Israel became the third after an Israeli company, Aleph Farms, received approval to sell lab-grown meat in Israel and the Middle East. Several European countries are also moving toward approving lab grown meat, according to several news reports.
