The two U.S.-approved cultured meat companies over the weekend reacted to the May 1 criminalization of factory-grown meat in Florida. One of them has started a petition on Change.org.
In signing the bill into law, Governor Ron DeSantis hinted at a global conspiracy by the World Economic Forum, even though the appearance of cultured meat is probably two to 10 years away. “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,” he said.
Good Meat, one of the two U.S. companies approved by USDA and FDA to create and sell cultured chicken, countered, “This legislation has always been about one thing – helping one industry, ‘Big Ag,’ avoid accountability and competition. Today, these multinational corporations and their lobbyists won. China will also be celebrating, as they are closer to overcoming our nation’s lead in this emerging sector.
“In a state that purportedly prides itself on being a land of freedom and individual liberty, its government is now telling consumers what meat they can or cannot purchase,” the Good Meat statement continued. “This bill sends a terrible message to the investors, scientists and entrepreneurs that have built America’s global leadership in alternative proteins.”
Upside Foods is the other approved U.S. company. Chief Legal Officer Sean Edgett added, “Florida’s decision to criminalize cultivated meat is a reckless move that ignores food safety experts and science, stifles consumer choice and hinders American innovation.
“Cultivated meat has been deemed safe to eat by experts from the USDA and FDA, so this is not a move to protect Florida’s consumers. This is a protectionist policy for entrenched interests, violates free market principles and limits consumer choice. Florida’s politicians have now become the food police, choosing winners and losers when they should let consumers make their own decisions about what to eat.
“Some of America’s largest meat companies have been early investors in cultivated meat,” Edgett continued. “They recognize cultivated meat’s potential to complement conventional meat production, improve supply chain resilience and ensure Americans’ access to meat as global demand for animal protein is projected to double by 2050.”
Upside Foods started a petition on Change.org titled “Protect your right to choose what you eat. Tell politicians to stop policing your plate.” It suggests, "Sign this petition to tell politicians that they should not control what you eat, and support food innovation for a brighter future."
We also just published a lengthy feature on the status of cultured meats. Read it here.
