Florida lawmakers beef with cultivated meat

The Florida House approved a bill that would ban lab-grown meat, but what does this mean for restaurants that use it and the people who want to try it?

Lots of people are skeptical, but most at least want the option to try it if that day ever comes, and they don’t think lawmakers should be banning it altogether.

“I just don’t want my food grown in a lab,” said Paula P from New Jersey.

The head of marketing for good meat said they’ve spent three years working with the FDA and USDA to get their approval, saying the meat is safe.

“Cultivated meat is real meat,” said Thomas Rossmeissl, head of marketing for Eat Just. “We make it a different process, so we take cells from an animal, put them into a bioreactor, and feed those cells the same thing. The same things an animal would. So lipids, amino acids, vitamins, water, and we grow real meat without slaughtering an animal.”

Rossmeissl is asking Florida lawmakers to stay out of the kitchen.

“If a consumer wants to try it because of their ethical, environmental, or any other reason, they should be able to. If a consumer doesn’t want to, that’s OK, too, but ultimately, consumers should be able to make that choice. Not the Florida legislature or the governor,” he said.

Two companies have approval from the FDA and USDA for their cultivated meat: Good Meat and Upside Foods.

Both are urging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto the bill.

A spokesperson for Upside Foods said criminalizing cultivated meat threatens the free market, stifles innovation, and limits consumer choice.

Here is their statement:

UPSIDE Foods is deeply disappointed that Florida’s legislature has chosen to criminalize cultivated meat in Florida as it threatens the free market, stifles innovation, eliminates Florida’s ability to participate in and contribute to a growing industry, and limits consumer choice. It puts the resilience of Florida’s supply chain at risk by hindering our ability to address the projected doubling of global meat demand by 2050.

Opposition to this type of legislation extends beyond our industry; even members of the conventional meat sector stand against it. Singling out cultivated meat is a slippery slope and fails to recognize that cultivated meat is regulated by the FDA and USDA and is subject to the same oversight as conventionally-produced meat. This type of discriminatory legislation jeopardizes the United States’ leadership in biotechnology and enables countries like China to gain unfair advantage. 

We urge Governor DeSantis to veto this law to prevent the broader consequences on the economy, demonstrate that Florida fosters innovation, and stand up for consumer freedom.

Rossmeissl added a statement as well:

Florida’s supposed to be a beacon for freedom and individual liberty. Why should this legislature or governor DeSantis tell consumers what meat they can or cannot consume? It’s fine if Governor if DeSantis doesn’t want to buy or eat cultivated meat, that’s his choice, but he shouldn’t tell Floridians what they can or cannot have for dinner. That goes against everything conservatives supposedly stand for. It goes against the idea of freedom that that Florida champions, and I hope the Governor vetoes the bill.