Alabama has become the second U.S. state to outlaw the production and sale of cultivated meat.
Gov. Kay Ivey on May 7 signed SB23 which will make it “unlawful for any person to manufacture sell, hold or offer for sale, or distribute any cultivated food product” in Alabama. According to the text of the bill, “cultivated food product” is defined as any food product produced from cultured animal cells.
Violation of the law would be considered a Class C misdemeanor.
The bill also states that any food sales establishment found in violation of the law would be subject to disciplinary action, which could include the suspension or revocation of its food safety permit.
SB23 also gave the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries and the Alabama Department of Public Health authority to adopt related rules “as necessary.”
While the sale and production of cultivated meats will be outlawed in Alabama, the bill points out that it will still be legal for research regarding the production of cultivated food products to be conducted by governmental or higher education entities.
The bill, which was sponsored by Sen. Jack Williams, R-Wilmer, will become effective October 1.
Ivey, a Republican, has been Alabama’s governor since 2017. Her decision to sign the bill into law follows a similar move made by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed a similar law in his state on May 1. At the time, DeSantis said signing that legislation was a form of “fighting back against the global elite’s plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish.”
