Good Meat
663506b77f8d28000865108c Goodmeatchicken Close Up

Cultured Meat, Part of a Global Conspiracy, Banned in Florida

May 3, 2024
Gov. Ron DeSantis signs a bill “to stop the World Economic Forum’s … authoritarian goals” – or maybe just to protect ranchers in that state.

Governor Ron DeSantis on May 1 signed a bill not only banning but criminalizing the manufacture and sale of cultured meat in Florida. A statement from the governor’s office linked the still far-off technology to a global conspiracy.

“Florida is taking action to stop the World Economic Forum’s goal of forcing the world to eat lab-grown meat and insects,” said a statement from the governor’s office.

In a statement directly attributed to DeSantis, he said, “Florida is fighting back against the global elite’s plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish or bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals. Our administration will continue to focus on investing in our local farmers and ranchers, and we will save our beef.”

The Sunshine State joins Alabama, Arizona and Tennessee in prohibiting cultured or cultivated meat, which is still two to 10 years away from wide availability, according to our May exhaustive report on the subject.

Only two companies in the U.S. – Good Meat and Upside Foods – have received the full set of approvals from USDA and FDA to manufacture and sell their cultivated chicken. While both are providing small-quantity restaurant tastings, neither appears close to launching in grocery stores. Other companies, including some developing beef and seafood, are in developmental stages.

When might it appear in grocery stores? “It could be anywhere from two years to 10 years,” Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just, parent firm of Good Meat, said in our May cover story.

“The industry is not in a place right now where it can produce at a large scale,” he continued. “To achieve that, we have significant technology, engineering, capex [capital expenditures] barriers. Those are the most significant steps that the industry needs to check off. I don’t need any more data to tell me consumers really like it, are open to it.”

The Florida bill, like those in other states, appears just as intent on shielding its ranching industry as in protecting citizens from a new technology. DeSantis’ press release listed recent financial incentives for farmers and protections against lawsuits.

“The cattle industry lobbied against cultivated meat, so we are now banning an entire industry in our state,” Lori Berman, one of 10 Florida Democratic senators who voted against the bill, was quoted by NBCNews.com. She called the bill “shortsighted,” seeing cultivated meat as a solution to future food shortage problems.

In addition to the efforts in Alabama, Arizona and Tennessee, a pending U.S. Senate Bill would ban cultivated meat products from being served in federally subsidized school lunches.

About the Author

Dave Fusaro | Editor in Chief

Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.

Sponsored Recommendations

Refrigerated transport services you can count on

Ensure product quality from origin to final destination with refrigerated shipping solutions from Schneider.

4 shipping challenges that a dedicated carrier can solve

Navigating the logistics industry is challenging. Find out how a dedicated transportation solution can solve some of the most common shipping challenges.

Dedicated lightweight solution maximizes bottled water payload

A leading bottled water company needed a carrier to transport water from 29 plants to retailers. The challenge? Handling over 46,000 pounds. Read the study.

Recipe for successful growth: Schneider’s dedicated fleet services helps bakery rise

Learn how a large bakery company complimented their private fleet with Schneider Dedicated freight services to increase freight capacity, amplify visibility & reduce costs.