Arizona, along with Florida and Texas, is the next state to propose stringent laws like censorship and bans for cultivated meat products, running the risk of “stifling the free market and their state’s economy,” Curt Chaffin, [Good Food Institute’s] director of policy, explained to FoodNavigator-USA.
Arizona’s House Bill 2244, introduced by Quang Nguyen (R), state representative and chair of public safety, focuses on stricter requirements for selling and labeling cultivated meat as a measure to avoid confusion among consumers.
The bill decrees that “a person who places a label on a food product may not intentionally misbrand or misrepresent a product that is not derived from livestock or poultry as meat, a meat food product, poultry or a poultry product through any activity,” including cell-cultured food products and synthetically-derived ingredients from plants, insects or other sources.
Arizona’s House Bill 2121 mandates a complete ban of the production or sale of lab-grown meat from Arizona entirely, issuing a penalty of up to $25,000 for violations of the legislation.
The proposed legislation in Arizona follows that of other states as criticism and fear about cultivated meat sales in the US mount.
Texas’ SB 664, which requires producers to label meat alternatives and lab-grown meat, was signed into law in September 2023. The law also encompasses clear language for plant-based products.
Florida’s House Bill 435 prohibits the manufacturing, sale, holding or distribution of cultivated meat, with criminal and licensing penalties.
