‘We Will Save Our Beef’: Florida Bans Lab-Grown Meat

Florida has banned making and selling meat that is grown in a laboratory, a move several other states have considered amid worries about consumer safety and concerns that the technique could hurt the beef and poultry industries.

A number of start-up companies are developing technologies to grow beef, chicken and fish by using cells taken from animals without harming or slaughtering them. The process is expensive and the widespread availability of so-called lab-grown meat is years away. Beef and poultry associations, as well as some conservatives, have opposed the industry, calling it anti-farmer.

In a news release announcing that he had signed the ban, Gov. Ron DeSantis said his administration was committed to investing in local farmers and ranchers. “We will save our beef,” he said.

He also cast the ban as pushback against “global elites” who have a “plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish or bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals.” The news release linked to a 2021 article on the World Economic Forum website discussing global food shortages and lamenting that insects are often overlooked as a source of protein.

Florida State Representative Lindsay Cross, a Democrat, called the ban “anti-business and contrary to how we’ve tried to market Florida as a place of free enterprise.”

“We should have more choices for our consumers,” Ms. Cross said.

To create and cultivate the meat, cells are removed from live animals and then water, salt and nutrients like amino acids, minerals and vitamins are added to the cells, which multiply in large tanks. The resulting meat product can be shaped into patties or sausage forms.