A California-based company challenging a new Florida law that bans selling and manufacturing “cultivated meat” has asked a federal judge for a preliminary injunction against the law.
UPSIDE Foods, Inc. on Friday filed a motion for a preliminary injunction as part of an underlying lawsuit that contends, in part, a federal poultry-products law preempts Florida from imposing such a ban.
The motion pointed to what is known as the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which generally leads to federal laws trumping conflicting state laws.
“An injunction will not substantially injure others, because it will not compel the state to take any action or obligate any resources, and because the state has no legitimate interest in the continued operation of an unconstitutional law,” the motion, filed in federal court in Tallahassee, said. “An injunction is in the public interest because it will permit UPSIDE to exercise its right to bring innovative products to the interstate market and allow consumers to exercise their freedom to decide for themselves what foods they want to eat.”