TALLAHASSEE, Florida — A manufacturer of “lab grown” meat has filed a lawsuit against a recently introduced law Florida Law which bans the sale of the product, arguing the restrictions give Florida farmers an unconstitutional advantage over out-of-state competitors.
“If some Floridians don’t like the idea of farm-raised chicken, there’s a simple solution: Don’t eat it,” said Paul Sherman, an attorney with the Institute for Justice, one of the groups that filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.
US regulators first signed on to sell what’s known as “cell-cultured” or “cell-grown” meat in June 2023. Sellers say the product is a more ethical and sustainable alternative to conventionally raised chicken, beef and pork.
But lawmakers in Florida and Alabama have called cultured meat a threat to their states’ agricultural industries and forbidden the sale of the product, which is made of animal cells which are fed a mixture of proteins, vitamins and water and then processed into nuggets, sausages and steaks.
Asked for comment on the lawsuit, a spokesperson for Governor Ron DeSantis referred to comments he made in May when he joined with ranchers to sign the state’s ban on cultured meat.
“We stand with agriculture, we stand with ranchers, we stand with our farmers because we understand it’s important to the backbone of the state,” DeSantis said. “Take your fake lab-grown meat somewhere else.”
Upside Foods, the manufacturer behind the lawsuit, held a tasting party in Miami before the ban went into effect, where diners were treated to tostadas made with cultured chicken, topped with avocado, chipotle cream and beet sprouts.
“This is delicious meat,” said Uma Valeti, CEO and founder of Upside Foods. “And we just fundamentally believe that people should have the choice to choose what they put on their plate.”
Valeti also noted that the meat his company produces does not come from a lab, but from a facility that more closely resembles a brewery or dairy processing plant.
___ Kate Payne is a staff member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-reported issues.