PIERRE, S.D. (SDBA) — South Dakota lawmakers moved closer to restricting lab-grown meat today (Tuesday), as a Senate committee approved two bills targeting the emerging food technology.
The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee voted 4-3 to advance House Bill 1109, sponsored by Rep. John Sjaarda, R-Valley Springs. The measure would ban the sale and production of cell-cultured meat in South Dakota.
The committee also passed House Bill 1118, authored by Rep. Jana Hunt, R-Dupree, prohibiting state money from being used to research or promote lab-grown meat products.
“It’s (lab-grown meat) not here already, so it’s a good time to make it illegal,” Sjaarda said.
The legislation comes amid federal approval of cell-cultured chicken products by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration.
“You’re being asked to say the South Dakota legislature knows better than USDA and FDA whether a product is safe,” said Nathan Sanderson of the South Dakota Retailers Association.
Tamar Lieberman from the Good Food Institute testified remotely that lab-grown meat could address future food needs.
“Global meat demand is expected to double by 2050, and there is quite simply not enough available grazing and farming land to satisfy that demand,” she said.
HB 1109 includes a sunset clause that says the ban will expire in 2035 unless renewed.
Agricultural organizations were divided on the measures. A representative from the Rhoden Administration also opposed HB 1109, saying it was anti-competitive.
Some legislators expressed concerns about food safety in the United States, questioning some decisions the FDA made on not banning some red dyes earlier.
“Europe, which started the research on this in 2013, is only allowing lab-grown protein to be in their pet food,” Hunt said. “They are not allowing this for human consumption yet.”
The bills advance to the full Senate, where, if passed and signed into law. would align South Dakota with Florida and Alabama in restricting cell-cultured meat products.
