- The Mississippi House of Representatives passed HB 1006, prohibiting the manufacture, sale or distribution of cultivated meat.
- Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson and other supporters frame the ban as a defense of traditional farming and consumer choice.
- Opponents argue the ban is premature and politically motivated, noting that cultivated meat is not yet commercially available in states with such bans.
- Mississippi joins Florida, Alabama and Nebraska in restricting lab-grown meat.
- The divide ultimately highlights a growing national debate over the role of cultivated meat.
Mississippi has become the latest state to take a stand against lab-grown meat, with the state's House of Representatives passing House Bill (HB) 1006 – a bill that would outlaw the manufacture, sale or distribution of cultivated meat within the Magnolia State.
Introduced by Mississippi State Reps. Bill Pigott (R-District 99) and Lester Carpenter (R-District 1), HB 1006 passed both houses of the Mississippi Legislature without a single vote in opposition. It now awaits the signature of Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, who can either veto it or sign it into law. If Reeves does affix his signature to HB 1006, anyone found violating the ban faces a misdemeanor charge punishable by a fine of up to $500, prison time of up to three months in county jail or both.
Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson, a vocal critic of the cultivated meat industry, has praised the bill. "I want my steak to come from farm-raised beef, not a petri dish from a lab," Gipson wrote on his website last year. The commissioner previously supported a 2019 proposal that sought to prevent lab-grown products from being labeled as meat.
The push to ban cultivated meat has been framed by supporters as a defense of traditional agriculture and consumer choice. Critics like Suzi Gerber, however, see these bans as politically motivated and premature.
Gerber – executive director of the Association for Meat, Poultry and Seafood Innovation – called HB 1006 "political theater." She noted that cultivated meat is not yet available for sale in any of the states that have banned it, including Mississippi.
From petri dish to dinner plate: Why southern states are banning fake meat
The Magnolia State's ban on fake meat follows similar moves in Florida, Alabama and Nebraska, as lawmakers across the country push back against what they see as an unnatural and unnecessary alternative to traditional agriculture.
Last month, the Alabama Senate passed Senate Bill (SB) 23 – a proposal to make the manufacture, sale or distribution of cultivated meat in the Yellowhammer State a Class C felony. SB 23's passage in the state senate moves it to the Alabama House of Representatives.
State Sen. Jack Williams (R-Georgetown), a cattle farmer and SB 23's sponsor, argued that there is no need for lab-grown alternatives in a state with abundant livestock. "We have plenty of cattle and chicken. There's no reason for us to bring this product in here," he told Alabama Daily News.
In May of last year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that banned lab-grown meat in the state into law. He framed the Sunshine State's prohibition as a fight against "the global elite's plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish," promising to "save our beef." (Related: Lab-grown meat now BANNED from being sold in Florida.)
DeSantis' decision to ban fake meat was warmly received. Cattle rancher Dean Black called cultivated meat a national security risk, warning that centralized protein production could be vulnerable to attacks. Meanwhile, U.S. Cattlemen's Association President Justin Tupper argued that lab-grown meat could tarnish the reputation of conventional meat.
As the debate over cultivated meat continues, one thing is clear: The battle lines are drawn. For now, states like Mississippi, Florida and Alabama are betting on tradition.
Watch The Last American Vagabond elaborating on the Food and Drug Administration's approval of lab-grown meat.
This video is from the What is happening channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Nebraska moves to ban lab-grown meat, joins growing push against fake food.
Florida lawmakers advancing bills to block the sale of LAB-GROWN MEAT in the Sunshine State.
Backlash against lab-grown meat inside and outside the U.S. signals growing resistance to FAKE FOOD.
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