DeSantis makes ‘cultured’ lab-grown meat illegal in Florida

This was a few months ago, Governor Ron DeSantis beginning expressed his support To prevent “cultured” lab-grown meat from being manufactured or sold in Florida. “We need meat, I get it. And we’re going to eat meat in Florida,” the Republican governor said. Saidhe added. Like, that doesn’t work. ”

He’s not talking about soy or vegetable-based meat substitutes.Rather, like the Tampa Bay Times reportCultured meat involves the process of taking a small number of cultured cells from an animal and growing them in a controlled environment to make food. Industry officials insist that the cultured meat manufacturing process is closely inspected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ensure safety. ”

This week as Miami’s NBC affiliate reportDeSantis banned it anyway.

according to his usual tone noble approach policy decisionfar-right Republican Added The bill signing states, “The world’s elites want to control our actions. …Florida says no.”

Selling or manufacturing cultured meat in the Sunshine State will now be a second-degree misdemeanor. (Field report Added“This measure does not ban cultured meat research, due to concerns that such a ban could impact the space industry, which is considering cultured meat for long-term space travel.” )

To be clear, DeSantis and Republican lawmakers took drastic steps to address a problem that doesn’t really exist. It will be a while before lab-derived meat becomes commonplace in the world, at least not in any meaningful way. restaurants and grocery stores.

That said, some companies have been approved for sale. Lab-grown chicken, related products are also under development. These products are not available to consumers because the sale of such meat is illegal in the Sunshine State.

And it’s not just Florida. So are Republicans in Alabama, Arizona and Tennessee. Similar bans are being considered across the state.

come back to us Previous coverage, I don’t claim to be an expert on this issue, but my general understanding is that the major private companies in this space have high expectations for the future of the industry. While cultured meat is not yet competing with traditional rivals, it has the potential to make a positive difference in terms of environmental impact and animal welfare.

If Republicans want to pursue new government regulations on labeling, that would probably be a reasonable approach to providing information to consumers. If Republican officials want to impose limits on government subsidies for cultured meat companies, it’s worth at least having a public discussion.

But Republican proposals in some states instead focus on imposing bans on industries that barely exist. There’s been a lot of talk about the Republican Party and its free market principles, but this is the latest example of the party prioritizing government restrictions and prohibitions over consumer choice.

We’re used to thinking of the Republican culture war as focusing on issues like abortion and LGBTQ rights. Apparently, lab-grown meat is joining that list.

The Washington Post’s Katherine Rampel recently asked in an article: column, “What happened to the Republican Party, which wanted the free market to decide winners and losers?” Where is the party of limited government? ”

These don’t have to be rhetorical questions.

This post will update our latest information Related previous coverage.

steve bennen

Steve Benen is the producer of “The Rachel Maddow Show,” editor of MaddowBlog, and political contributor for MSNBC. He is also the bestselling author of The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics.