New Texas Law: Lab-Grown Meat Taken Off the Menu

Lab-grown meat is something new that has appeared in the state of Texas. As with anything new, questions have been raised about how safe it actually is for people to eat. For residents in Texas, the wait will be longer following its recent ban.

Why Was Lab Grown Meat Banned In The State Of Texas?

The experiment around lab grown meat is a recent one. But so far, some states have shown they don't wish to try it. States listed by KXAN that have outlawed lab grown meat are  Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Nebraska, Mississippi, and Montana. Texas is newest to ban it.

The bill, identified as Senate Bill 261, was written by Senator Charles Perry from Lubbock. It was recently passed, and will take effect on September 1st, 2025. The upside though is that the outlawing of the the meat will only be until sometime in 2027.

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However, not everyone is happy with the ban, arguing it's too early to make a call.

Who Is In Opposition Of The Ban?

The CEO and Founder of Upside Foods, Dr. Uma Valeti, said the following to KXAN about how safe lab grown meat is:

“There is no slaughterhouse, there is no poop, there is no skin, guts, there’s no antibiotics used. We don’t have pesticides or herbicides that are on the grass that an animal is eating. We do not have plastics or microplastics. So in all of these things, cultivated meat is a step above in terms of production quality, cleanliness and safety.”

Texas Southwest Cattle Raisers Association member Carl Ray Polk also stated about lab grown meat: “Because these products are so new, there has been no long term research."

It remains to be seen when lab grown meat will be truly accepted in Texas.