Federal lawsuit against Florida ban on 'lab-grown' meat still alive after judge's ruling
Source: Associated Press
Federal lawsuit against Florida ban on ‘lab-grown’ meat still alive after judge’s ruling
Updated 7:20 PM EDT, April 25, 2025
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A lawsuit against Florida’s ban on “lab-grown” meat is still alive after a federal judge tossed four parts of the suit on Friday but kept a fifth.
Northern District of Florida Chief Judge Mark Walker declined to dismiss a part of the lawsuit that argued Florida’s restrictions give an unconstitutional advantage to Florida farmers over out-of-state competitors. Meanwhile, the judge sided with state attorneys seeking to dismiss the lawsuit and their argument that federal approval of cultivated chicken doesn’t mean individual states can’t ban it.
U.S. regulators first signed off on the sale of what’s known as “cell-cultured” or “cell-cultivated” meat in June 2023. The lawsuit had argued that Florida’s law is preempted under federal laws that regulate the interstate market for meat and poultry products. Sellers say the product is a more ethical and sustainable alternative to conventionally raised chicken, beef and pork.
But lawmakers in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi have called cultivated meat a threat to their states’ agriculture industries and banned the sale of the product, which is made of animal cells that are fed a mix of proteins, vitamins and water and then formed into nuggets, sausages and steaks.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/florida-cultured-meat-food-agriculture-business-29dab1b4068cc8d9787d537cde641b78