TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — A Florida state representative recently introduced a bill that would halt the production of cultivated meat.

Tyler Sirois filed House Bill 435, which would prohibit the manufacturing, sale, holding, or distribution of cultivated meat in the state of Florida.

If passed, violators of the law could face second-degree misdemeanor charges and pay a fine of up to $1,000. A restaurant or retail store violating the law in Florida could also face a suspension of their license or an immediate stop-sale order.

In the bill, cultivated meat was defined as “any meat or food product produced from cultured animal cells.”

No companies are currently selling cultivated meat in the United States. However, the USDA released a grant of inspection in June to Upside Foods and GOOD Meat, the cultivated meat division of Eat Just Inc. Additionally, cultured meat has been approved for use in pet foods within the European Union, with Bene Meat the first to receive approval to produce and sell its cultured meat.

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