Delegate Thomas Garrett, R-Gordonsville, submitted House Bill 1382 to require lab-grown meat products to include a label on their packaging indicating that they are just that.
Virginia House Bill 1382, a partisan bill about meat and misbranding, was introduced on January 16, 2024 and referred to the Committee on Agriculture on January 26, 2024.
Garrett said he plans to “tweak” his bill to specifically require the label to state the product is a “cell-cultured edible product,” which his bill would define as a meat product that is made by any process involving the culture of stem cells or 3D printing.
Steak in restaurantPhoto byAlex MunsellonUnsplash
Garrett said he also intends to add an amendment that would require restaurants to include a note on their menus to notify customers if they order lab-grown meat products.
Garrett said:
“This shouldn’t be a partisan issue. You have, I think, a fundamental right to know when you’re paying for a product what that product is, and you don’t write meat on something that’s not meat.”