The Legislature in Florida has taken a significant step towards prohibiting lab-made meat, with adjustments made to the legislation to allow for research in this emerging field. The bills in both chambers faced criticism from various political viewpoints. The House Infrastructure Strategies Committee approved the ban as part of a larger Agriculture Department legislative package (HB 1071) by a narrow 12-10 vote. On the same day, the Senate Rules Committee also passed a companion bill (SB 1084).
This development means that both bills are now poised for floor votes in their respective chambers, potentially making Florida the first state in the country to implement a complete ban on lab-made meat. Rep. Daniel Alvarez, a Republican from Tampa, defended the decision to prohibit the sale of cultivated meat entirely, while acknowledging that this ban may not be permanent. He mentioned that it could be at least five years before lab-made meat becomes widely available for commercial purposes, giving lawmakers ample time to reassess the situation.
“I want a free market that tells me when I put a product in Publix, I know that it is safe and secure,” Alvarez said.
The bill has received backing from conventional farming sectors, such as the Florida Cattlemen’s Association. However, various stakeholders, including investors, researchers, and entrepreneurs, have argued against the complete prohibition of the product.
Recently, the North American Meat Institute penned a letter to Governor Ron DeSantis and key lawmakers. As the primary trade association for meatpackers with a long-standing history, critics of the bill claimed that the implied threat of cellular agriculture to traditional farming was unfounded.
“Legislators and others who beat the ‘food safety’ drum in support of HB 1071 and SB 1084 do so at their peril, and the peril of others, because these bills establish a precedent for adopting policies and regulatory requirements that could one day adversely affect the bills’ supporters,” the Meat Institute letter reads.
Critics have pointed out that the product has been approved for consumption by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, Senator Jay Collins, a Republican from Tampa, emphasized that Florida should exercise greater caution than what the federal government has demonstrated.
“We’re saying we want more testing, more safety data before we allow this to be sold in Florida, just because the (Food and Drug Administration) has allowed it,” Collins said, acknowledging that he doesn’t foresee the ban lasting “forever.”
