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In the wake of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ failed presidential campaign, many wondered whether the Florida Republican might be less aggressive in pursuing regressive policy measures, since he no longer had to pander to far-right elements of the GOP base.
The answer to those questions came into focus soon after. In early February, for example, the governor announced his support for preventing “cultivated” lab-grown meat from being made or sold in Florida. “You need meat, OK. And we’re going to have meat in Florida,” DeSantis said, adding, “We’re not going to have fake meat. Like, that doesn’t work.”
Just so we’re all clear, the GOP governor wasn’t talking about soy- or vegetable- based meat substitutes. Rather, as The Tampa Bay Times reported, cultivated meat “involves a process of taking a small number of cultured cells from animals and growing them in controlled settings to make food. Industry officials have argued the cultivated meat process has been closely scrutinized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ensure safety.”
It’ll be a while before lab-based meats are common in restaurants or local grocery stores, but some companies have gained approval to sell lab-grown chicken, and related products are in development.
Those products will not be available to consumers in the Sunshine State — where it will apparently be illegal to sell such meats.
What I didn’t realize until seeing the latest column from The Washington Post’s Catherine Rampell, however, is that this pushback isn’t limited to Florida.
Republican politicians in Alabama, Arizona, Tennessee and Florida are considering legislation that would ban the sale, distribution or import of any “cell-cultured food product” intended for human consumption. Depending on the state, penalties could include everything from a $1 million fine to prison time. “Some folks probably like to eat bugs with Bill Gates, but not me,” said Tennessee state Rep. Bud Hulsey (R).
It’s tempting to add a paragraph or two explaining that some believe insect consumption is a part of a broader conversation, though it’s utterly irrelevant to the future of the lab-grown meat industry.
For now, however, let’s focus on the matter at hand.
I won’t pretend to be an expert on the matter, though my general understanding is that the leading private companies in this space have high hopes for the future of the industry. Cultivated meat isn’t yet competing with its traditional rivals, but it has the potential to make a positive difference when it comes to environmental impacts and animal welfare.
If Republicans wanted to pursue new government regulations related to labeling, that would probably be a reasonable approach to informing consumers. If GOP officials wanted to impose limits on government subsidies for companies working on cultivated meats, that would at least be worthy of some public conversation.
But the Republican proposals in some states are instead focused on imposing statewide bans on an industry that doesn’t really exist in any meaningful way. For all the talk about the GOP and its free-market principles, this is the latest example of the party preferring government restrictions and prohibitions to consumer choices.
We’re accustomed to thinking about the Republican Party’s culture war including issues such as abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. Evidently, lab-based meats are working their way onto the same list.
Rampell’s column added, “What happened to the Republicans who wanted the free market to choose winners and losers? Where is the party of limited government?”
Those need not be rhetorical questions.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.