The fight against lab-grown meat has picked up considerable steam over the past year, with multiple states now prohibiting its manufacture, sale, and distribution. Florida became the first state to prohibit cultivated meat when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 1084 into law on May 1, 2024. Alabama quickly followed up with its own ban later that month.
With the precedent having been set, many other states are now moving forward with bans of their own. In March of this year, Mississippi became the third state to prohibit cultivated meat. And, in early May, Montana and Indiana took action—the former prohibiting its manufacture, sale, and distribution, and the latter issuing a two-year moratorium on the products.
The Florida law is facing legal action from the Institute for Justice (IJ), which is arguing that the law represents a form of economic protectionism that violates the Commerce Clause and the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. “This law is not about safety; it’s about stifling innovation and protecting entrenched interests at the expense of consumer choice,” said IJ senior attorney Paul Sherman. More specifically, the purpose of the law seems to be protecting established agricultural interests from a budding new technology that has the potential to seriously disrupt their industry. …
To be sure, I take no pleasure in the prospect of farmers losing their livelihoods. That is a difficult situation to be in, and it is perfectly understandable that they would try to preserve the businesses they have built.
But what the farmers and their sympathizers need to understand is that no one is entitled to a successful business. It is not fair to your fellow citizens to take away their choices just so that you can stay profitable. People in every other sector of the economy constantly face the competition of new technologies, and they often don’t get special protection from the government to keep them from being outcompeted. Why should you be allowed to ban your competition and not everyone else? Why should you get to keep your livelihood in perpetuity when millions of others have to adapt to changing market conditions?
Banning people from buying your competitors’ products is not a just way to stay in business. It is disrespectful to consumers, it is devastating for innovative entrepreneurs, and it puts a major check on economic progress.
I understand you want to keep your livelihood. But in a capitalist society, you need to do that by winning a fair fight, not a rigged one.
There is an easy way out to this conundrum! Make the labeling laws so strict that they must divulge what is in the package, then let every consumer choose! Make sure they also label it as GMO or containing what amounts to vaccination product, the country of origin and the country of processing. Make sure that everything about all the products is listed, including GRAS ingredients. Then, everyone can make a fully informed consent to purchase these products. However, when do you think a regime like that would ever go into affect when all the politicians are paid off handsomely?
MSC
got a really bad rep because they basically just charge for membership and then laugh all their way to the bank.