Free Republic

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill banning lab-grown meat in his state Wednesday, in what he described as an effort to “save our beef.” “Today, Florida is fighting back against the global elite’s plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish or bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals,” DeSantis said in a press release Wednesday. “Our administration will continue to focus on investing in our local farmers and ranchers, and we will save our beef.” The bill, S.B. 1084, makes it “unlawful” for people to “manufacture for sale, sell, hold or offer for...

The Florida Legislature got an unlikely shout-out earlier this month. China Weekly, a Chinese language publication, mentioned a Florida bill that would ban the sale and manufacturing of cultivated meat, also sometimes referred to as lab-grown meat. If the bill passes, Florida would be the first state to ban the sale of cultivated meat. The industry worries Florida’s action could cause other states to follow suit. A lawmaker in Alabama has proposed a similar ban, and bills in New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Iowa would impose other restrictions on these products.