Ag leaders and various advocacy groups around the nation continue to take on the topic of lab-grown meat. Speaking at the Nebraska Governor’s Ag and Economic Summit, executive director of the Center for the Environment and Welfare, Jack Hubbard, pointed out the bipartisanship of the issue.
“Different states have taken different approaches, so Florida and Alabama have outright banned it. And you know, I think it’s of note that after Governor DeSantis banned lab-grown meat in the state, Senator Federman, who really doesn’t align politically at all with Ron DeSantis, came out and applauded him and said that this is the one thing the two of them would agree on-that we shouldn’t be feeding people lab-grown meat,” he said. “So, this truly is a bipartisan issue. It tends to get the attention of both Republicans and Democrats, especially people from agriculture states.”
He said full bans are not the only option, but precise labeling is important. “The lab-grown industry wants it to be labeled as cultivated, which pulls better with consumers, and I think is inherently confusing. Whereas we and other groups believe that lab-grown meat is the real literal definition that ought to be on packages,” Hubbard said. “So, there’s a fight going on in many state houses about what you call this stuff and how you label it. And frankly, the language we use and adopt around this new novel sector will probably dictate its success, or lack thereof, with consumers.”
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet News Hour and The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.