Alabama Senate Approves Bill to Prohibit Cell-Cultured Meat Production and Sales – vegconomist

The Alabama Senate has passed a bill prohibiting the sale of lab-grown meat within the state. Senate Bill 23, spearheaded by Senator Jack Williams, categorizes the manufacturing, sale, or distribution of cultivated meat as a Class C felony. The bill saw no opposition in the Senate and is now advancing to the House for further deliberation.

This legislative action comes following FDA approval of cultivated chicken sales in the US last year, marking a pivotal moment for leading lab-grown meat companies UPSIDE Foods and GOOD Meat. Both companies began serving their cell-cultivated chicken to consumers: UPSIDE in San Francisco and GOOD Meat in Washington, D.C. However, they’ve both now concluded service to focus on increasing production efficiency. 

Opposition to ‘artificial’ foods

Senator Williams articulated his stance to the Alabama Daily News, expressing concerns over artificial food sources. “Anything that is artificial and not to do with our animals comes up on my radar. I don’t want Alabamians eating that,” he stated.

He further stated, “The problem with this is we have plenty of food in the state. We have plenty of cattle and chicken. There’s no reason for us to bring this product in here.” In contrast to these comments, the United Nations reports that there is indeed a food crisis, with more than 250 million people facing acute food insecurity. Additionally, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reports a triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity and nature loss and pollution and waste, finding that meat alternatives have a strong potential to reduce the environmental impact of animal foods while also lowering the risk of pandemics and antibiotic resistance. 

Rick Pate, Alabama’s state agriculture commissioner, also voiced support for SB23 to Alabama Daily News: “We want to be supportive of our cattlemen, and that’s a huge industry in Alabama and income for our small farmers.” 

Legal implications

Under the new legislation, violations would result in Class C misdemeanors, potentially leading to fines, jail time, and disciplinary actions for food service establishments, including the possibility of suspending or revoking food safety permits. The Department of Agriculture and Industries, in collaboration with the Department of Public Health, is tasked with adopting rules to enforce this bill, targeting establishments that sell or distribute cultivated food products in violation of the law.

The move by Alabama mirrors similar legislative efforts in other states, such as Florida and Arizona, where proposals aim to restrict or ban the sale and production of lab-grown meats. With the bill passing the Senate unanimously at 32-0, it now moves to the House for consideration. 

Senator Williams spoke to 1819 News about the new bill, commenting, “This is all made from nothing, cells. You don’t know what you’re getting. You don’t know what it’s going to do to you later, I think. They’re doing chickens in California, I know, and shipping them overseas, not here, but we just don’t want it in Alabama”