Florida became the first state to ban cultivated meat, which is made by replicating the cells of real meat without the need to actually raise and slaughter the animal, The Free Press has reported.
Other states, including Arizona, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and Alabama are considering similar bans.
It was on March 6, the Florida House of Representatives passed legislation prohibiting the manufacture and sale of cultivated, or “lab-grown,” meat in Florida, The Free Press added.
According to Health News Florida, creating cultivated meat involves a process of taking a small number of cultured cells from animals and growing them in controlled settings to make food.
Federal agencies have deemed lab-grown, or cultivated, meat safe to eat. But the legislation, supported by the state’s agriculture industry, “pumps the brakes” on the food to ensure it is safe, the report noted.
An earlier version of the bill would have prohibited research into cultivated meat, but concerns were raised that doing so could affect the space industry, which is looking at cultivated meat for long-term space journeys, the health news noted.