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TAMPA (WFLA) — The Florida House and the Senate Agriculture Committee have approved House Bill 435 (HB 435) bill, which would ban the sale or production of lab-grown meat in the state.
The bill, sponsored by Tampa Bay Republican Rep. Danny Alvarez (R-Hillsborough County), defines lab-grown meat as “any meat or food product produced from cultured animal cells.”
“As of today, the unknowns are so great,” Alvarez told a House panel. “There are no long-term studies.”
According to FoodSaftey Magazine, the bill also establishes punishments for individuals or businesses who are found selling or producing lab-grown meat.
The punishments for selling or manufacturing lab-grown meat can include a second-degree felony, as well as a fine of up to $1,000, and the closure or suspension of any restaurant, store, or employees selling lab-grown meat.
Proponents of lab-grown meat say that the industry has been heavily scrutinized by the FDA and USDA Food Safety Association and that introducing lab-grown meat can help grow the economy.
Florida Rep. Joe Casello (D-Boynton Beach) said that lab-grown meat could serve as an “economic engine” and warned that lab-grown meat is “the wave of the future that’s going to come whether we ban this on this bill today or not.”
If passed by Florida’s Senate, the bill will go into effect in July 2024.
