Jordan Hansen

(Daily Montanan) A proposal to ban lab-grown meat in Montana cleared the House last week and will head to the Senate after this week’s legislative break.

House Bill 401, brought by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, would criminalize the sale of meat grown in a lab. A similar bill passed in Florida last year and an injunction against the law being put in place was denied by a federal judge in the Sunshine State late last year.

Supporters of the bill pointed to the 2.1 million cows being raised for beef in the state and questions around unknown human health effects from consuming lab-grown meat. There were no opponents in the bill’s hearing.

“I have some grave concerns over the use and production of lab-grown meat,” Rep. Randyn Gregg, R-White Sulphur Springs, who is co-sponsoring the legislation, said during the hearing. “The process is a fusion of dystopia. One could call it Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ meets Keanu Reeves in ‘The Matrix.’”

The bill has more than 70 co-sponsors, mostly Republican, with a handful of Democrats joining in. The sponsors include much of the Republican Senate and House leadership. The bill passed its third reading to move to the Senate on a 64-35 vote.

Mitchell also specifically noted the bill was not targeting plant-based products designed to taste like meat. Plant-based meats are usually made from tofu, tempeh, or soy.

Beyond any potential unknown health consequences, Mitchell said, it was also to help protect an important part of the Montana economy. The total value of the state’s agricultural industry is about $4 billion, according to the Montana Legislative Fiscal Division.

“This bill will help promote the Montana agricultural industry and keep it strong and thriving in the state of Montana,” Mitchell said during his bill’s hearing. “I think we have a unique opportunity here to put the hammer down clearly and show that we stand with agriculture and that we stand with our cattle ranchers.”

Lab-grown meat, which more simply is making food from animal cells, starts with a small sample of cells from a donor animal. According to the Food and Drug Administration, this can be done without harming or killing the animal.

These cells are then selected, screened and grown. The cells grow in a controlled and monitored environment that supports the growth of the cells. Other nutrients, “protein growth factors” are added to help the cells differentiate and can assume the characteristics of muscle, fat or connective tissue.

Once the cells have multiplied enough times, they can be harvested and prepared for sale using traditional food processing and packaging norms.

The FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture are jointly overseeing the development of these relatively new food products.

The FDA completed its first pre-market consultation of animal cell culture meat in November 2022, saying it had, “no further questions at this time about the firm’s safety conclusion.” The company, UPSIDE Foods, has sold its product in some places in the U.S.

HB 401 would make selling the meat a misdemeanor, which did come up during debate on the House floor.

“I have a beef with this bill, a bone to pick, you might say. I don’t want to get roasted here, but the stakes are just too high,” said Rep. SJ Howell, D-Missoula, during a March 4 floor session. “In all seriousness, this bill puts a criminal penalty on selling this kind of meat, and goes from a labeling bill to a criminal penalty bill and that’s just a little too far for me.”