Gov. Jim Pillen signed an executive order to limit its sales
Recent actions from Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen aim to limit the sales and overall availability of lab-grown meat in the state.
Lab-grown, or cultivated meat, sees companies collect cells from meat animals and provide the cells with what they need to grow.
On Aug. 29, the governor signed an executive order creating strict guidelines when it comes to state agencies and contractors obtaining lab-grown meat.
The executive order says State agencies “shall not procure Lab-Grown Meat,” and that any parties awarded contracts through state laws “shall have attested that they will not discriminate against natural-meat producers in favor of laboratory or cultivated-meat products.”
In addition, Gov. Pillen directed the Nebraska Department of Agriculture to work on a rulemaking process on the labeling of lab-grown meat products.
The result would ensure “any lab-grown meat products sold in stores are properly labeled and are not marketed next to natural meat on the same shelves,” an Aug. 30 media release says.
These measures are about supporting hog, cattle and poultry farmers in the state.
“We feed the world and we save the planet more effectively and more efficiently than anybody else and I will defend those practices with my last breath,” Gov. Pillen, who grew up on a hog farm in Platte County, told supporters at Oak Barn Beef in West Point.
In addition to the guidelines and directives in the executive order, Gov. Pillen will work to outright ban lab-grown meat sales in Nebraska.
The upcoming legislative session will see the governor work with senators to draft legislation to prohibit cultivated meat in the state.
If that comes to pass, Nebraska will join Florida and Alabama in banning these products. Iowa has passed legislation to regulate lab-grown meat.
The U.S. approved sales of lab-grown meat in June 2023.
The global cultured meat market was valued around US$173 million in 2023 and could grow to US$740 million by 2031, industry research says.