On Wednesday, the Florida House began moving forward with a wide-ranging Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services bill that would ban making or selling “cultivated” meat in the state.
The House Regulatory Reform & Economic Development Subcommittee voted 9-5 to approve the bill (HB 1071), sponsored by Rep. Danny Alvarez, R-Hillsborough County.
Last week, the Senate Agriculture Committee approved the Senate version (SB 1084). Cultivated meat, sometimes known as lab-grown meat, involves taking a small number of cultured cells from animals and growing them in controlled settings to make food.
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Florida agriculture groups back the proposed ban. Alvarez pointed to concerns about food safety. “As of today, the unknowns are so great,” he told the House panel. “There are no long-term studies.”
But industry officials said the cultivated meat process has been closely scrutinized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ensure safety.
Rep. Joe Casello, D-Boynton Beach, said he probably wouldn’t buy cultivated meat but that it could be an “economic engine” for Florida. “I think this is the wave of the future that’s going to come whether we ban this on this bill today or not,” Casello said. “It’s going to come.”
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