The House Agriculture Committee has advanced a bill that would ban lab-grown meat in South Dakota, framing the issue as food safety versus consumer choice.
House Bill 1077 would classify cultivated-protein products as adulterated food, effectively prohibiting their sale in the state.
Supporters told lawmakers lab-grown meat lacks the natural safeguards found in live animals.
Dr. Jim Stangle, a western South Dakota veterinarian, testified remotely that cell-cultured products don’t function like livestock.
Opponents said the bill goes too far, arguing that labeling the product as adulterated misapplies food-safety law and risks future retaliation against South Dakota agriculture.
Matthew Bogue, a registered lobbyist for the South Dakota Farm Bureau, told the committee that if federal regulators approve a product, consumers should decide.
The bill passed the House Agriculture Committee on a 9–3 vote and now moves to the House floor.
Comments