A Final Lab-Grown Hurrah

With your Southeast Regional Ag News, I am Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.

A final hurrah, if you will.

As Florida's ban on "lab-grown" meat takes effect next week, the Associated Press reports that Upside Foods, the company that came up with the world’s first cultivated meat meatball, last week hosted a tasting party in Miami. The U.S. approved "cell-cultivated" meat in June 2023.

From the AP, “earlier this year, Florida and Alabama banned the sale of cultivated meat and seafood, which is grown from animal cells. Other states and federal lawmakers also are looking to restrict it, arguing the product could hurt farmers and pose a safety risk to the public.”

Governor Ron DeSantis, backed by local ranchers, signed the ban in May. Upside Foods CEO Uma Valeti criticized the decision, saying officials never consulted the company and emphasized the proven science and safety of cultivated meat.

I see no short-term end to these types of stories. For more on this specific tale, visit https://www.ksbw.com/article/lab-grown-meat-maker-hosts-tasting-party-as-florida-ban-goes-into-effect/61462206