Nebraska introduces legislation to ban lab-grown meatNebraska introduces legislation to ban lab-grown meat

Bill would require those products to be labeled “adulterated food products.”

Ann Hess, Content Producer

January 17, 2025

3 Min Read
Package of fake meat
Getty Images

Nebraska has become the next state in line to bring forth legislation banning cell-cultured meat. Senator Barry DeKay will be introducing a bill to keep lab-grown meat from being manufactured, distributed or sold in Nebraska. The bill defines “cultivated food protein” and requires those products to be labeled “adulterated food products” under the Pure Food Act. 

"There are clear, recognized benefits of meat as a source of protein. It is uncertain whether manufactured meat protein is a substitute for natural meat sources as essential dietary needs. I question elevating lab meat to a level of equivalency with real meat,“ said DeKay. “Until or unless there are clear labeling rules that adequately disclose that cultured meat is not real meat, its sale allows lab meats to unfairly benefit from industry investments in marketing and production. What’s more, this industry is supported by organizations that want to do away with animal production in Nebraska and the United States. This is part of the process that we’re going to go through to make sure our way of life, our livestock, and our product that we can put on the dinner table stays intact going forward."

Governor Jim Pillen says bills like this are critical to preserving and protecting agriculture in Nebraska. 

Related:Pork producers urge Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee to follow the science

“It's important we get on the offense so that Nebraska farmers and ranchers are not undermined," Pillen said. "Our job is to protect consumers, grow agriculture and defend agriculture. Most of us want government out of our hair, but there are places where government needs to step in and protect us.” 

During the 2024 legislative sessions, Alabama, Arizona, Florida and Tennessee considered legislation banning the manufacture, sale or distribution of cell-cultured meat. Only Florida and Alabama both successfully passed the legislation and got the bill signed into law. In Tennessee, neither the House or Senate proposed bills were introduced on the chamber floor and in Arizona, the House bill passed but failed in the Senate.

Alabama's law states the manufacture, sale or distribution of food products produced from cultured animal cells a Class C misdemeanor. According to the bill’s fiscal note, civil penalties could range from $100 for a Class II violation up to $10,000 for a Class V violation for food sales establishments that violate the provisions of the bill. However, the bill does not prevent any federal institution of higher education, or a person that is partnered with a governmental entity or institution of higher education, from conducting research in Alabama regarding the production of cultivated food products.

Related:Would cold storage for pork provide a buffer to trade disruptions?

Alabama’s ban followed Florida’s legal precedent taken earlier last year. Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 1084 into law, noting the action would "stop the World Economic Forum’s goal of forcing the world to eat lab-grown meat and insects, 'an overlooked source of protein.'” Instead the state would be "increasing meat production, and encouraging residents to continue to consume and enjoy 100% real Florida beef."

The first lab-grown meat was created in 2013 by Mark Post of Maastricht University. The cultivated meat patty was made from more than 20,000 muscle tissue strands, cost more than $325,000, and took two years to produce.

Today more than 150 companies across the world sell cell cultivated meat, including 43 in the United States.

About the Author

Ann Hess

Content Producer, National Hog Farmer

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