The Florida Fake Meat Ban withstood an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit by a lawsuit filed by Upside Foods, Inc. The Florida law that banned the manufacture, distribution and sale of all lab grown meat, SB 1084, was challenged by the Calfornia startup and focused on the sale of lab-grown chicken.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said, “There are fights worth having now, and for future generations of Floridians. I’m proud of the work we’ve done to make Florida the first state in the nation to outlaw untested, synthetic, ”cultivated meat” products, and thrilled that a Federal Court has upheld this law.”
Will Coggin, Research Director at The Center for the Environment and Welfare said, “Lab-grown meat is an experimental product with many unknowns because there is a lack of long-term health studies,” said Will Coggin, research director at the Center. “Florida is joined by many other states that share concerns about petri (PEE-tree) dish protein, and it’s a sensible policy that keeps pace with consumer expectations.”
In addition to Florida, seven other states have banned fake meat including: Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, and Texas, and several states include labeling laws regarding fake meat including: Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.