Alabama Takes Stand Against Lab-Grown Meat, Following Florida In Outlawing Alternative Proteins
DEBARYLIFE – After Florida banned lab-grown meat earlier this month, Alabama became the second state in the union to do the same.
On May 7, the Alabama Bill authorizing “the manufacture, sale, or distribution of food products made from cultured animal cells” was signed into law by Governor Kay Ivey. Republicans Sen. Jack Williams and Rep. Danny Crawford sponsored the proposal.
The bill’s supporters contend that it shields farmers and cattle ranchers from competitors producing meat in laboratories and that it also addresses the idea that a group of international “elites” is pushing artificial food.
Every day, cattlemen put in a lot of effort to rear cattle and provide premium beef. Alabamans will be able to continue buying safe, healthful, real beef because of the persistent efforts of Senator Williams and Representative Crawford this session. Erin Beasley, Vice President of the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association, posted on Facebook.
Lab-grown meat makes use of a newly developed technique that produces food in a lab using animal cells.
A significant contributor to climate change is the production of beef.
Given that the United States only approved regulations governing the cultivation of meat less than a year ago, critics of the move argue that it is wrong for several reasons.
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Others point out that because cell-based protein doesn’t require the land, crops, or water needed to care for livestock, it’s a creative substitute for furthering climate change.
A single cow can produce anywhere from 154 to 264 pounds of methane gas annually, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, making beef farming a significant source of methane emissions worldwide. At least 231 billion pounds of methane are released into the environment annually by the 1.5 billion beef cattle that are farmed worldwide.
“Banking farmed meat is a foolish law that disregards scientists and experts in food safety, restricts consumer choice, and impedes innovation in the United States.” Sean Edgett, Chief Legal Officer of food technology business Upside Foods, said in a statement to USA TODAY, “It turns politicians into the food police and ignores the USDA and FDA’s food safety experts who have deemed it safe.”
Prohibition in Florida intended to preserve the “integrity of American agriculture”
On May 1, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning the production, marketing, and distribution of meat cultivated in a lab. The measure, according to the previous contender for president, is intended to safeguard cattle ranchers and the “integrity of American agriculture.”
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DeSantis yelled, “Take your fake lab-grown meat somewhere else.” “Florida is fighting back against the global elite’s plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish or bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals.”
DeSantis mocked liberals who support “fake meat” to fight climate change, and he chastised world leaders like those at The World Economic Forum for supporting insects as a substitute for edible meat (insects are regarded as delicacies in some cultures).
Impossible meat, which is created with elements derived from plants, is exempt from the prohibition.
Similar cooking methods are being used by officials in other states, including Tennessee, West Virginia, Arizona, and Kentucky.