Iowa Enacts Labeling Law Against Plant-Based and Cultured Meats and Eggs

Iowa’s governor on May 22 signed a law requiring labels for lab-grown and plant-based meat and egg alternatives that clearly indicate they are not from animals. It does not mention dairy products.

Senate File 2391, dubbed the "meat integrity act" by its backers, was touted by Republican lawmakers as a way to protect Iowa-based products from what they say is unfair competition, while increasing transparency for consumers, according to the Des Moines Register. Democrats, many of whom opposed the bill, warned the law could lead to national brands being off-limits to Iowa buyers.

The new law, which goes into effect July 1, suggests label statements such as cell-cultivated, cell-cultured, fake, grown in a lab, imitation, lab-created, lab-grown, meat free, meatless, plant, plant-based, vegan, vegetable, vegetarian, veggie, “or a comparable word or phrase as approved by the department” (the state’s Dept. of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing).

Food processors, retailers and restaurants can be fined $500-$10,000 for not complying. The law also prevents school districts, community colleges, state-owned universities and some other public institutions from purchasing cultivated meat.

“This legislation prohibits companies from exploiting the trust consumers have with our livestock producers and misleading consumers into buying products they don’t want,” Gov. Kim Reynolds wrote on the state website. “This is about transparency. It’s about the common-sense idea that a product labeled chicken, beef, or pork, should actually come from an animal."