Act No. 2024-252
Sen. Jack W. Williams, R-Wilmer, and Rep. Danny Crawford, R-Athens
As of Oct. 1, the manufacture, sale or distribution of food products produced from cultured animal cells within Alabama is prohibited.
Under Act No. 2024-252, violations would be a Class C misdemeanor. The food safety permit of a food sales establishment could be suspended or revoked upon conviction of the owner or an employee. Civil penalties for food service establishments would range from $100 to $10,000, according to the bill’s fiscal note.
The legislation, which the governor signed into law May 7, allows Alabama governmental entities or institutions of higher education to research the production of cultivated food products.
Sen. Jack W. Williams, R-Wilmer, sponsored the legislation. Rep. Danny Crawford, R-Athens, who presented it in the House, said, “there are concerns with the process for lab-grown proteins. We are not so sure about the long-term consequences.”
Taking a small number of cells from living animals and growing them in a controlled environment to create food is an emerging area of food science. In 2019, the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Food and Drug Administration began developing a framework for safe production of such foods.
In June of 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the first-ever grants of inspection to two companies to produce cell-cultivated chicken in their facilities, and to label their products as “cell-cultivated chicken.” It was the first time that FDA and USDA regulators had approved companies to produce cell-cultivated meat products to be sold in the United States. In July of 2023, the companies sold the first cell-cultured chicken at restaurants in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. According to a September 2023 analysis of cell-cultivated meat by the Congressional Research Service, 43 of the more than 150 companies worldwide involved in the cell-cultivated meat industry are in the United States. The same analysis says that the scientists have not yet perfected the process enough to ramp up production on a scale large enough to sell to grocery stores.
>> Alabama House approves ban on meat from cultured animal cells (al.com)
>> Senate passes ban of lab-grown meat (aldailynews.com)
This article is part of the Alabama Retail Report, a communication for Alabama Retail Association members. Not a member? Join us!
Reprints or republishing are welcomed but require permission. Contact us for permission.