China is the main competitor in the cultivated meat industry, and it also included the technology in its latest five-year agriculture plan
Florida made history yesterday after Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law effectively outlawing the production and sale of lab-grown meat across the state.
DeSantis framed the move as a defense against what he sees as “the global elite’s plan” to promote lab-grown or insect-based meat. The bill has stirred division within the national meat industry, valued at $283 billion.
Florida, yesterday, became the first state to ban cultivated meat.
The bill, SB 1084, aims to protect farmers and traditional agriculture while criminalizing cultivated meat production. Traditional beef farming in Florida alone generates over $900 million annually.
For years, the lab-grown meat industry has been receiving millions of dollars in investments. Two startups, Upside and Good Meat, even received approvals from US regulators last year to sell lab-grown meat.
But now the industry is facing pushback, and cultivated meat industries say Florida’s bill stifles innovation in a space that is becoming competitive globally.
Reasons for the ban
Florida generates over $900 million a year through beef cattle, per the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Traditional meat packers, who have spent years carving a path for themselves, are not ready for the new type of meat that can be cultivated using animal cell cultures and can be grown in labs.
But there are those against the law
Some who voted against the bill opine that the legislation enables China to gain an unfair advantage in biotechnology.
China is the main competitor in the cultivated meat industry, and it also included the technology in its latest five-year agriculture plan.
As of 2023, around 60 startups worldwide are involved in its production, with its introduction dating back to 2013.