In a nationwide first, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has outlawed the sale and distribution of lab-grown meat in his state, claiming a ban will prevent “the global elite” from “forcing the world to eat lab-grown meat and insects.”
“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,” DeSantis said in a statement following the legislation’s signing Wednesday.
The law aims to protect the business of local cattle ranchers and farmers, which the state’s Commissioner of Agriculture, Wilton Simpson, said is under threat by alternative food options.
“Lab-grown meat is a disgraceful attempt to undermine our proud traditions and prosperity, and is in direct opposition to authentic agriculture,” Simpson said.
Anyone found violating the law, which goes into effect on July 1, risks being fined or having their business license suspended. Similar bans are under consideration in Alabama, Arizona and Tennessee.
DeSantis, in explaining the need for a ban, cited an article published on the World Economic Forum’s website that endorsed insect farming for food and animal feed due to rising human population levels.
The article, written by the president and chief executive officer of an insect farming company, argues that insect farming could be an environmentally friendly solution to an impending global food crisis. It did not argue for “forcing” its consumption on anyone.
Florida’s ban received bipartisan support from Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who in a statement posted on social media said, though it “pains” him, he agrees with DeSantis.
“As a member of [the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry] and as some dude who would never serve that slop to my kids, I stand with our American ranchers and farmers,” he wrote. Fetterman’s office did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
The U.S. Agriculture Department last June approved the sale of chicken made from animal cells after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration deemed such products safe to eat.
Lab-grown meat, also called cultivated meat, is still hard to find and more expensive than meat that comes from slaughterhouses. The products are produced in steel tanks using cells from a living animal. They’re not the same as plant-based proteins, like the Impossible Burger, which are often packaged to resemble meat that comes from an animal.
Meat-manufacturing companies have meanwhile hit back at Florida’s ban.
GOOD Meat, which touts itself as the first company in the world to sell cultivated meat, called DeSantis’ law disappointing and “a setback for everyone.”
“In a state that purportedly prides itself on being a land of freedom and individual liberty, its government is now telling consumers what meat they can or cannot purchase,” the California-based company said in a statement.
UPSIDE Foods, another California-based meat producer, slammed DeSantis’ ban as overreaching “food policing.”
“This decision ignores food safety experts, takes away consumer food choice, and hinders American innovation in a sector America has historically led,” the company said in a statement. “Despite the ban, we’ll be over here continuing to fight for a better food future.”