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Legislation to Label Lab-Grown Meat
America’s dairyland is taking a stance on real meat.
The Wisconsin Assembly on Tuesday approved a plan to require lab-grown meat to be labeled as lab-grown.
Rep. Clint Moses, R-Menomonie, who is a farmer, is one of the authors of Assembly Bill 554 which would require truth-in-labeling.
“This bill is simply about transparency within our food industry. ” Moses said. “Consumers have the right to know whether their meat is coming from a farm or a petri dish.”
The legislation is relatively simple. It states "no person may sell or offer for sale a food product that contains cultured animal cells or cultured animal tissue derived from cultured animal cells (lab-grown meat) unless the food product is labeled with the phrase 'lab-grown meat.'"
“It is essential that the distinction, particularly in terms of nutritional content, between these two types of meat is transparent and easily understandable to the consumer,” Moses added. “We require truth-in-labeling for other products such as grass-fed or free range, transparency should be expanded so consumers know exactly what they’re buying.”
If Moses' plan becomes law, Wisconsin would join a number of other states including Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah, South Dakota, Iowa, Tennessee, North Dakota, Kansas, Missouri, and South Carolina which already have lab-grown meat labeling laws.
But the plan does not go as far as other states. Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, and Texas all have state laws that ban the sale or manufacturing of lab-grown meat.
Moses' plan would require lab-grown meat labels from manufacturers, as well as stores, restaurants, and any "promotional materials."
The legislation now heads to the Wisconsin Senate for a hearing. Gov. Evers has not yet said whether he will sign the legislation if it makes it to his desk.
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