The Nebraska Department of Agriculture has been directed by Governor Jim Pillen to develop rules restricting cell-cultured meat. It is intended that cell-cultured meat should be clearly labeled and separated at point of sale from natural meat derived from livestock.
In establishing the policy, Governor Jim Pillen, himself a Veterinarian and hog producer, stated at an event, “Nebraska farmers and ranchers like those here today are committed to producing the best food products anywhere. We feed the world, and we save the planet more effectively and more efficiently than anybody else and I will defend those practices.”
A number of states with beef and pork production have introduced or are intending to pass legislation banning or restricting the manufacture or sale of cell-cultured meat including Florida and Alabama. The constitutionality of legislation directed against cell-cultured meat will be challenged in court following filings by Upside Foods and the Institute for Justice.
States with livestock production are pressing ahead with restrictions on sale and labeling despite the fact that none of the startups or established cell-cultured meat companies has been able to produce commercial quantities of product or will be likely to do so in the foreseeable future. This situation follows a decade of “almost there” optimism that has swallowed up almost $2 billion in venture capital worldwide. Restrictive legislation at this time is essentially political theatre to engender and solidify support from livestock producers. It may also be coupled with a twinge of Luddite opposition to innovative technology.