Jessica B. Weaver, MA’s Post

Why is Florida placing a ban on Cultivated Meat? Check out this Forbes article for a primer on why it's so important that we at UPSIDE Foods fight this unlawful ruling against our industry. 🌱 hashtag #CultivatedMeat #UPSIDEFoods

🍊"For the same reason California cannot ban orange juice made from Florida oranges, Florida cannot ban a meat product made in California simply because farmers think it might hurt their bottom line." 🍗 "Perhaps someday cultivated meats will be widely available, but it will only be because consumers chose to purchase them." 🥩 "Whether or not future generations eat cultivated meat should not be in the hands of politicians who want to please favored industries today." Read more on UPSIDE Foods and their groundbreaking lawsuit pushing back against Florida's paternalistic cultivated meat ban: https://lnkd.in/gUCRG4_R #cultivatedmeat #cultivatedmeatban #cellculture #altprotein #alternativeprotein #meat #florida

On the footsteps of recent news coming out of the front lines of the cultural wars in the US raging around cultivated meat, This Hill opinion piece argues against government intervention in dietary choices, specifically regarding cultivated meat. The core argument is that consumers, not politicians, should be allowed and empowered to make informed decisions about the food they eat. This includes factors like personal preference, cost, and environmental impact. The article suggests that a more productive approach would be for the government to focus on creating a fair and transparent regulatory environment where both conventional and cultivated meat can compete, rather than banning the latter. Click below to read the full article. Thanks for following! https://lnkd.in/dX-YquDV #cultivatedmeat #foodtech #foodsecurity #foodcrisis

Rarely do I post about political issues, but the recent legislation in Florida and Alabama banning "cultured meat" feels completely wrong to me. As someone who eats meat every day (fish, beef, chicken, pork, turkey, wild game, you name it!), this doesn't affect me personally, but it’s still concerning. If the FDA has approved cultured meat for sale in the US, that should be enough. Our legislators, both at the state level and in Washington, seem to be focused on the wrong priorities. Instead of a complete ban, why not just require clear labeling for cultured meat products? A ban is an overreaction. And let's not use "safety" as an excuse. We have plenty of unsafe or unhealthy products on the market already. I'm not fooled. When the "fake meat" trend started 1-2 years ago, I pointed out that less than 10% of Americans are vegetarians. The impact on traditional meat sales is minimal because the majority of Americans will continue to buy real meat unless quality drops or prices skyrocket. Wake up, America! Are these laws really necessary? Can we not go and "fix" other problems? # meatindustry #foodmanuafcturing #CulturedMeat #FDA #FoodSafety #PoliticalPriorities

🌊 👀 In last month's edition of our monthly newsletter The Ripple, an interesting news story caught our eye.   Alternative seafood start-up Upside Foods, which is developing cell-based lobster, has sounded the alarm over two proposed bills in Florida that could ban the production and sale of cultivated meats. The company fears that the bills could set a precedent that leads to bans in other US states.   Following Italy’s ban on the sale of cultured meats in January, this story illustrates the regulatory challenges innovators can face when disrupting cultural norms and challenging existing industries. With further battles sure to come in the years ahead, emerging industries like alternative seafoods may need to explore sharpening their policy tactics.   👓 Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/ed4sFPbZ   📰 Check out March's edition of The Ripple here: https://lnkd.in/eRpe-SWq   ✒ If you find these stories interesting, sign up to The Ripple here to stay up to date on all things related to ocean innovation: https://lnkd.in/eUs4qHjn   #Ocean #Innovation #CulturedMeat #AlternativeProtein #Newsletter #TheRipple

States Split on Cultured Meat: FL & AL Ban, TN & AZ Falter The landscape of meat alternatives has seen significant developments in the first half of 2024, with state and federal actions shaping the future of this burgeoning industry. Meat alternatives, encompassing both plant-based products and cell-cultured https://lnkd.in/eRhSyvcF

❌🥩 Another US state takes a step back, banning the sale of cultivated meat. The Alabama Senate recently approved Senate Bill 23, which prohibits the sale of lab-grown meat, categorizing its manufacturing, sale, or distribution as a Class C felony. Spearheaded by Senator Jack Williams, the bill received unanimous support in the Senate and is now headed to the House for further review. This move follows the FDA's approval of cultivated chicken sales in the US, a significant development for leading lab-grown meat companies UPSIDE Foods and GOOD Meat, which have since focused on enhancing production efficiency after initial consumer trials. Senator Williams expressed concerns about artificial food sources, stating, "Anything that is artificial and not to do with our animals comes up on my radar. I don’t want Alabamians eating that." He emphasized the state's abundant food resources, including cattle and chicken, arguing against the need for lab-grown alternatives. However, global reports indicate a food crisis affecting over 250 million people and highlight the environmental benefits of meat alternatives in reducing the impact of animal agriculture on climate change and biodiversity loss. Under the new legislation, violations would result in Class C misdemeanors, potentially leading to fines, jail time, and food safety permit revocation for establishments selling or distributing lab-grown meat. The Department of Agriculture and Industries, in collaboration with the Department of Public Health, will enforce these rules. This legislative action mirrors similar efforts in other states like Florida and Arizona to restrict or ban lab-grown meat sales and production. With SB23 passing the Senate unanimously, its fate now rests with the House. Senator Williams emphasized the unfamiliarity and potential risks associated with lab-grown meats, stating, "This is all made from nothing, cells. You don’t know what you’re getting. You don’t know what it’s going to do to you later." Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/e-xU3tED #ForwardFooding #cultivatedmeat #foodtech #innovation #sustainability #foodsystems

Large-scale, lab-grown meat: Step inside a cultivated meat factory Lab-grown meat, cultivated meat, cell-based meat, slaughter-free meat: All of these terms refer to the process of creating real meat from animal cells, despite names that may allude to a vegan product. Come with us as we step inside a lab-grown meat facility, and become some of the first to taste-test chicken that was grown […] The post Large-scale, lab-grown meat: Step inside a cultivated meat factory appeared first on Cultivated Meat News . => https://lnkd.in/ePChQiAT #CultivatedMeat #News #CulturedMeat #Altproteins #Food #FutureOfFood

Elevate your food and beverage game with labels that speak volumes! From allergen alerts to organic certification, diet-specific ingredients to local farming details, we've got you covered. 🍎 Let's empower customers with the info they need for informed choices! Check out the full assortment here https://bit.ly/4cp1f5b #LabelsMatter #TransparentChoices #KnowYourFood #Labels #Stickers 

The recent ban on #cultivatedmeat production, sale, and even research in both Florida and Alabama has been rightly criticized as ‘colossally stupid.’ I’d add that these bans are colossally shortsighted. My full thoughts linked below. TL;DR - Come back to the table with the goal of reversing the ban, if nothing else to prevent harm to your own industry. All meat - traditional or cultivated - uses the same regulatory agencies and is subject to the same requirements here in the US. Compete in market, and if you have a better product, let’s let consumers decide. No one likes a bully. Everyone likes meat. We knew consumers would want to know that these products were evaluated from every reasonable angle to build trust. On top, *two* federal agencies were proposed to evaluate these products rather than just one (for meat and poultry - seafood remains entirely at FDA). How did we know this would be effective? Because this regulatory safety and suitability and labeling system is the EXACT system that’s been successfully used by conventional meat products for decades. We designed this system to take advantage of the incredibly safe meat supply we already enjoy, using the system the meat industry worked hard to help develop. The meat industry uses the same two-agency system to evaluate safety and suitability for all of their products. We simply extended it to cultivated meat, added appropriate risk reduction steps to account for the differences in production, and, once deemed safe, went to the races. Said differently, Florida and Alabama’s actions ban a product that they themselves use every day for their own products to establish the safety and truthfulness of traditional products. Are we to believe then that conventional meat products are also unsafe since these states believe cultivated meat to not be adequately safe nor truthfully labeled despite completing an arguably equivalent safety and labeling process? Of course not. Our food system, today, is arguably the safest food supply to ever exist in the history of humanity. And it’s because there is effective policy in place that allows food innovation balanced against food safety, and ultimately consumer trust. This legislation says to residents of Florida and Alabama (and any other state considering this ban), “You are not smart enough to choose food that’s good for your family. You need us to parentify your choices instead of living your values.” I happen to think consumers are smart enough to make their own decisions. Let’s do right by everyone and come back to the table and re-think this in good faith. Let’s define a level playing field. Let’s agree on what we disagree about and see if we can compromise so that we each have a shot at feeding the next 1.5 billion mouths in the next 40 years. We don’t need more bullies in the world. We need more safe and delicious food. https://lnkd.in/gJD9YGfF