Texas Joins 6 Other States in Banning Lab-Grown Meat

Texas has officially become the seventh U.S. state to ban the sale of lab-grown meat.

On Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 261, which specifically prohibits the “manufacture, processing, possession, distribution, offer for sale, and sale of cell-cultured protein.” It defines cell-cultured protein as a food product derived “from harvesting animal cells and artificially replicating those cells in a growth medium to produce tissue.” The new law is set to take effect on September 1, 2025.

As for why state legislators supported the ban, a May Daily Floor Report from the Texas House of Representatives indicated that concerns about cell-cultured protein posing a safety risk to consumers stemmed from the fact that “its creation process involves direct interaction with microplastics that can cause disruptions in the human cell membrane.”

The bill was strongly supported by the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. In a statement to multiple outlets, the group said the bill will protect “Texas consumers from being a science experiment as companies seek to profit from selling cell-cultured protein with no long-term health studies.” It also stated that the bill opposes “an agenda by certain radical groups and companies who seek to end traditional animal agriculture.”

Texas' Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller also praised the bill, sharing in a statement that “Texans have a God-given right to know what's on their plate, and for millions of Texans, it better come from a pasture, not a lab. It's plain cowboy logic that we must safeguard our real, authentic meat industry from synthetic alternatives.”

It's important to note that cell-cultivated meat isn't synthetic. As Food & Wine previously reported, the Congressional Research Service defines cell-cultivated meat as “developed in a lab, grown from a sample of animal cells that does not require the slaughter of animals.” By definition, it is meat, but no animals are born or killed in the process.

Food & Wine further explained that creating cell-cultivated meat involves five stages: taking a biopsy of animal cells, banking the cells, growing them, harvesting, and processing. All of these steps are closely overseen by both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Those caught violating the new Texas law will face a new Class A misdemeanor charge. Repeat violations could result in the charge being upgraded to a felony. According to Harris County's official website, Class A misdemeanors are “punishable by up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $4,000, or both jail time and a fine.” 

Other states that have banned cell-cultivated meat include Nebraska, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, Alabama, and Florida.

However, as FoodBev Media reported, Upside Foods, which received regulatory approval from the FDA and USDA in 2023, is suing the state of Florida over its ban. In April, a U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of Florida denied a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, paving the way for a courtroom showdown. In response, Uma Valeti, the CEO of Upside Foods, stated, “All we are asking for is the right to compete, so that Floridians can try our product and see that it is possible to have delicious meat without the need for slaughtering animals.”