.jpg)
LINCOLN — A bill banning lab-grown meat from Nebraska advanced Tuesday to its final round in the Legislature after a failed attempt to change the focus instead to labeling. The voice vote ended a two-day debate.
Undertones of culture war politics were more on display during the second round of debate in the statehouse. State Sen. Barry DeKay of Niobrara — in a nod to some national Republicans calling similar bans around the country an attempt to stop the “elitist” class from promoting unnatural foods — called lab-grown meat an attempt by groups to undermine Nebraska beef.
“I’d like to also share this quote from Bill Gates…rich nations should move to eat 100% synthetic beef,” said DeKay, who introduced the bill.
Nebraska is marching toward becoming the fourth state to implement a ban on lab-grown meat. Mississippi was the third state to outlaw cell-derived meat. Florida and Alabama have banned cultivating and selling meat grown in laboratories in recent years.
The proposed law doesn’t ban alternative-meat products like the Impossible Burger, which is made entirely from plants. The target is cell-derived meat produced from animal cells, enabling the cells to multiply and differentiate into muscle, fat, and connective tissue without slaughtering animals. The bill would ban the production, import, distribution, promotion, display or sale of any cultivated-protein food in the state.
State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln proposed an amendment to the bill that would have replaced the ban with labeling of lab-grown meat — a proposal supported by the Nebraska Farm Bureau.
“I believe that’s a better, more thoughtful approach that’s in line with agricultural leadership thinking on this topic,” Conrad said. “I think a ban is too restrictive.”
The amendment failed with a 12-24 vote.
Nebraska is the second-largest cattle-producing state in the U.S., behind only Texas. Cattle and other livestock production are among Nebraska’s largest industries, bringing nearly $31.6 billion to the state, according to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. The Food and Drug Administration approved labgrown meat for human consumption in 2022.
“I believe it will only add to the arsenal group of individuals who want to engineer our dietary choices,” DeKay said in support of his proposed ban, “increasing pressures to legally, culturally deny real meat out of animal welfare activists.”
Conrad questioned the DeKay claims of negative effects. Democratic aligned lawmakers said labeling is a better option because it is a more free-market approach. Rural State Sen. Teresa Ibach of Sumner preferred the labeling approach.
“Because cattle is [Nebraska’s] number one industry,” Ibach said. “I will do everything to protect that. Banning it is not a bad thing.”
Ibach said she is fine with either approach and was marked “present not voting” for Conrad’s amendment. ‘Bioreactor meat’ California-based UPSIDE Foods, which sells lab-grown meat, sued the state of Florida for its ban on cell-derived meat last year. While a district court judge rejected Upside Foods’s request for a preliminary injunction, the lawsuit is still ongoing.
Uma Valeti, CEO and founder of UPSIDE Foods, said he recently met with Gov. Jim Pillen about the potential ban and called it a productive conversation.
“There’s a lot of misinformation about cultivated meat,”Valeti said. “Banning cultivated meat won’t protect farmers; it will only limit Nebraska’s ability to lead, grow its meat production capacity, and weaken its food system.”
DeKay’s bill was introduced at the request of Pillen, who owns a major hog operation based in Columbus. Pillen has called the creation of “bioreactor meat” a “dishonest attack” on producers in Nebraska.
The Nebraska Farm Bureau supported legislation that would label lab-grown meat but not ban it, saying the bureau supports a free and open market and believes that there is a much better option than a ban.
State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha supported Conrad’s failed amendment. He said he and the Farm Bureau often disagree on issues.
“If the (Farm) bureau and I are on the same side of something, that’s certainly something people should take seriously,” Cavanaugh said.
