Florida lawmakers advancing bills to block the sale of LAB-GROWN MEAT in the Sunshine State

02/26/2024 / By Ramon Tomey

Lawmakers in Florida are advancing a set of bills that aim to ban the sale of lab-grown meat in the Sunshine State over safety concerns.

The Epoch Times reported that both houses of the Florida Legislature have pushed such proposals – House Bill (HB) 1071 for the Florida House of Representatives and Senate Bill (SB) 1084 for the Florida Senate. Both HB 1071 and SB 1084 have the same text and aim for the same purpose.

According to the Florida House’s version of the measure, “cultivated meat” is defined as “any meat or food product produced from cultured animal cells.” If it is signed into law, any individual who manufactures, sells or distributes cultivated meat will be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor.

Food establishments are also included in the measure. Businesses that manufacture, distribute, or sell cultivated meat will be subject to disciplinary action, and could have their licenses to operate suspended.

“As such, the bills are now ready for floor votes in both chambers,” the Epoch Times continued. “If passed, Florida will become the first U.S. state to support a total ban on cultivated meat.” (Related: Keeping it real: Italy becomes first nation to BAN FAKE MEAT.)

Republican State Sen. Jay Collins said “more testing” and “more safety data” is needed before lab-grown meat can be sold in Florida. State Rep. Daniel Alvarez, also a Republican, concurred with his colleague’s sentiments.

“Right now, we don’t have the information for a consumer to make an educated, informed consensual decision,” Alvarez said. “Until we have long-term studies that tell me what lab-grown immortalized cells do to your body, I challenge you to put it in your child.”

Both bills have the backing of the traditional agricultural community, with the Florida Cattlemen’s Association extending support. In contrast, the North American Meat Institute – the largest trade association of meatpackers in the U.S. – opposes the bill.

Similar efforts underway to ban FAKE MEAT

Lab-grown meat products are made by extracting cells from animals and placing them into a culture medium. The medium is then placed into big tanks containing a mixture of important nutrients and compounds that the cells need to grow.

Under normal circumstances, cells do not divide by themselves indefinitely. But genetic modification mutates some cells, allowing them to divide indefinitely – accelerating the production of lab-grown meat.

The Washington, D.C.-based Center for Food Safety (CFS) warned in 2020 that the “genetic engineering of cells and their potential cancer-promoting properties” is a “particular concern” when it comes to cultured meat.

“The scale required for making lab-cultured ‘meat’ feasible for mass consumption will be the largest form of tissue engineering to exist. [It] could introduce new kinds of genetically engineered cells into our diets,” the CFS said, adding that genetically modified cell lines could “exhibit the characteristics of a cancerous cell.”

Aside from Florida, other states are also moving to prohibit lab-grown meat. The Alabama Senate recently passed legislation to prohibit the sale and manufacture of fake meat in the Yellowhammer State. Similar action has also been undertaken at the federal level.

In January, Sens. John Tester (D-MT) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced the School Lunch Integrity Act. The proposal by the two senators aims to ban cultured meat from being provided through the federal government’s School Breakfast Program (SBP) and National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture currently sets nutritional requirements for meals served to students under the SBP and the NSLP. However, it has not issued guidance on the use of lab-grown meat for both meal programs. The bipartisan bill seeks to fix this gap by prohibiting lab-grown meat in students’ meals.

“Our students should not be test subjects for cell-cultivated ‘meat’ experiments,” said Rounds. “With high-quality, local beef readily available for our students, there’s no reason to be serving fake, lab-grown meat products in the cafeteria.”

Want real food and none of the lab-grown junk? Head over to the Health Ranger Store.

Watch this clip about lab-grown meat to be sold in the U.S. carrying the “cell-cultivated” label.

This video is from the Puretrauma357 channel on Brighteon.com.