01-04-2025
Lab-grown meat ban moves forward in Nebraska Legislature
State Sen. Barry DeKay of Niobrara, chair of the Legislature's Agriculture Committee, center, meets with Speaker John Arch of La Vista. March 31, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
LINCOLN — A bill banning lab-grown meat from Nebraska advanced Monday to a second round in the statehouse after a two-hour debate. Legislative Bill 246 advanced 33-1.
Nebraska would join a handful of states that have introduced legislation banning cell-derived meat. The bill was introduced at the request of Gov. Jim Pillen, who owns a major hog operation based in Columbus. Several lawmakers expressed concerns over the safety of lab-grown meat, while others called the bill a waste of time.
The proposed law doesn't ban alternative-meat products like Impossible Burger, which is made entirely from plants. The cell-derived meat it targets is 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.
If passed, Nebraska would be the fourth state to implement a ban on lab-grown meat; Mississippi is expected to be the third once its Governor signs it into law. Florida and Alabama have banned cultivating and selling meat grown in laboratories in recent years
Bill author State Sen. Barry DeKay of Niobrara, said the bill aims to protect the Nebraska meat industry and consumers from 'adulterated food's effects.'
'Our goal is not to throw people in jail or impose heavy monetary penalties,' DeKay said. 'It's just to keep the product off the shelves.'
Mississippi's ban punishes anyone growing or selling lab-grown meat with a $500 fine and up to three months in jail. Lab-grown meat has been a subject of culture war politics, as some national Republicans say a ban is an attempt to stop the 'elitist' class from promoting unnatural foods. State Sen. Tanya Storer of Whitman said she had leaned toward voting no before researching the topic. On Monday, Storer said not banning lab-grown meat is 'sending a message to the people of Nebraska that we believe it's safe.'
'I cannot look someone in the eye right now and tell them that self-cultivated meat is safe,' Storer said.
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 lab-grown meat for human consumption in 2022. DeKay alluded to a ban in France and other European countries as proof that his concerns over the safety of lab-grown meat are valid.
State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln said lab-grown meat is a non-issue, because the product is not yet in stores and is just an issue that gives the governor 'a win.' Conrad added that there are other solutions, such as labeling the meat as lab-grown.
'I think it's beneath the Legislature…it's out of touch with what most Nebraskans want,' Conrad said.
The Nebraska Farm Bureau supported legislation that would label lab-grown meat but not ban it outright.
Pillen has said he supported the bill as a way for the state to protect consumers and defend agriculture because it's the lifeblood of Nebraska's economy. After the vote, the governor said, 'The creation of this bioreactor meat is simply a dishonest attack on producers in our state,' on X.
State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair said the state has bigger issues to deal with.
'Beer and bugs, tackling the important matters that matter to Nebraskans,' Hansen said sarcastically. 'I'm hoping we'll get to property taxes.'
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