The Alabama Senate recently approved legislation banning the sale of meat produced from cultured animal cells, reported Alabama Daily News. Senate Bill 23, sponsored by Sen. Jack Williams, R-Mobile, makes it a Class C felony to manufacture, sell or distribute cultivated meat.
The bill passed the Senate without opposition and moved to the House.
Williams is a farmer who raises cattle, among other commodities. “Anything that is artificial and not to do with our animals comes up on my radar,” Williams told Alabama Daily News. “I don’t want Alabamians eating that.”
Williams argues against the necessity of importing these products.
“If you were on Mars, you have to grow what you have to grow to eat,” he said. “The problem with this is we have plenty of food in the state. We have plenty of cattle and chicken. There’s no reason for us to bring this product in here.”
In 2019, the Legislature passed a law saying lab-grown meat substitutes could not be labeled as meat in Alabama.
