Alabama and Florida just outlawed this type of meat. It’s a colossally stupid move

On May 7, Governor Kay Ivey signed a law making it illegal to manufacture, sell, or distribute cell-cultivated meat in Alabama. Earlier this month, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida signed a similar one . These moves should still give all of us a reason to be angry. 



Cell-cultivated meat is meat that’s grown from a culture of cells, meaning it doesn’t require the raising or slaughter of animals. It’s a sector that’s very hot right now, not just in the U.S., but globally, because it could be the answer to some major problems in our current food systems. The livestock industry is responsible for 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, not to mention the transmission of zoonotic diseases , the massive amount of land it requires, and the inherent animal cruelty involved in making factory farmed slop . Cell-cultivated meat provides a possible solution to all of that, as well as an exciting economic opportunity. 



But DeSantis’ take? “We’re not doing that in the state of Florida.” As for Ivey, she hasn’t made a statement yet, perhaps because the internet went bananas over DeSantis’ decision. It doesn’t come as much of a surprise, given that politicians have been working on legislation for months. It’s not just Florida and Alabama. Tennessee isn’t far behind, with a bill to ban the cell-cultured meat industry currently floating through the legislature. Arizona and Texas have laid down incredibly tight restrictions on the kind of language and labeling that cell-cultivated meat companies can use in the marketing and sale of their products. Meanwhile, a senator from Nebraska (a major cattle ranching state) has tried pushing for this at the federal level . Republicans, at least those in the southern half of the country, have made it clear they want nothing to do with slaughter-free meat.



The laws dealing with labeling are typically justified in the name of “consumer protection.” But in many cases, there are clear financial ties between the states (and sometimes the individuals) and the animal agriculture industry. DeSantis and Ivey and the other politicians behind these bills didn’t even provide an ostensible good faith reason why these laws would be in the best interest of their constituents. In the Florida governor’s own words, “we will save our beef.” It’s straightforwardly a move to defend agribusiness, specifically cattle farming.



And sure, banning cell-cultivated meat might preserve some (low-paying, dangerous ) jobs in the short term. But zoom out even a little and we can see that this is a colossal mistake, for multiple reasons. 



For one thing, it’s stunningly hypocritical for Republicans—supposedly the party of the free market —to impose restrictions on commerce to protect one particular industry. In the logic of true capitalism, the best product is the one that wins. If cell-cultivated meat really isn’t desirable , it shouldn’t be a “threat” to the cattle industry, as DeSantis put it. And if Floridians and Alabamans are interested in cell-cultivated meat, why should the states prevent them from trying it? At the federal level, there are already regulations in place for cell-cultivated meat (even though a widely available commercial option is still estimated to be many years away ). There’s no clear, legitimate reason why consumers in southern states shouldn’t be able to partake in cutting-edge food ventures that the rest of the world is currently exploring , including Israel , China , and Singapore.



And furthermore, the ban stifles the states’ economic potential. Cell-cultivated meat may be a new frontier, but it’s already a big business, currently tallying over $3 billion in investments . Some of the biggest meat producers in the world are investing in cell-cultivated meat, not to mention individual billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Richard Brandson . DeSantis and Ivey have just assured that Florida and Alabama won’t see any of that money, and won’t be part of what could be a rapidly growing sector. It reads as standard neophobia, and a resistance to change—even though change, in this case, is desperately needed.



One of the greatest possible benefits of cell-cultivated meat comes in the form of environmental relief —a factor which numerous politicians opposing the industry fail to adequately acknowledge. At the press conference for Florida’s newly-passed ban, DeSantis made a number of jokes about environmentalism being a project of “liberal elites,” pointing out the hypocrisy in promoting climate-forward solutions while using private jets and otherwise having a massive carbon footprint. As DeSantis said , “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.” In fairness, the climate-impacting activities of the uber-wealthy are certainly worth addressing. But that’s no reason to throw out any environmental idea as lefty nonsense. 



The fact of the matter is that we’re up against some frightening possibilities. Rising sea levels, as a result of climate change , could send parts of the world’s biggest (and most commercially significant) cities underwater within the next 30 years . COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease , and if we continue to rely on industrial animal agriculture to feed the nation, we risk seeing similar global health crises in the future. The UN tells us to expect biodiversity loss, an increase in extreme weather events, food shortages, worsened poverty, and displacement of people as climate change continues to take its toll on the planet. 



I’m all for doing things cautiously, with plenty of regulatory oversight, but certain Republicans apparently want to destroy the potential of cell-cultivated meat altogether. This emerging industry is a huge opportunity, both for American economic growth and for the well-being of humanity at large. By putting the kibosh on it from the beginning, DeSantis and Ivey are doing a major disservice—not just to their own constituents, but to all of us.