Texas banned lab-grown meat. What's next for the industry?
7 hours ago
- #Texas ban
- #lab-grown meat
- #sustainable food
- Texas has implemented a two-year ban on lab-grown meat, effective from September 1, 2027.
- Two companies, Wildtype Foods and Upside Foods, have filed a lawsuit against Texas officials to overturn the ban.
- Lab-grown meat, or cultivated meat, is produced by growing animal cells in labs without slaughtering animals.
- Texas joins six other US states and Italy in banning lab-grown meat products.
- The agriculture sector contributes significantly to global greenhouse-gas emissions, with livestock accounting for 10-20%.
- Lab-grown meat could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.
- Currently, only a few companies in the US, Australia, Singapore, and Israel can legally sell lab-grown meat products.
- Upside Foods and Wildtype Foods are among the companies selling cultivated chicken and salmon in the US.
- The ban is seen as an attempt to stifle the lab-grown meat industry before it can scale up.
- The lawsuit by Wildtype and Upside Foods names Texas Department of State Health Services commissioner Jennifer Shuford.
- Legal battles add to the challenges faced by the nascent lab-grown meat industry.