Minnesota is among Midwest states looking to regulate lab

ST. PAUL — Companion bills moving through the Minnesota Legislature hope to make it clear for consumers if they are buying food that contains cell-cultured or what some call lab-grown meat. Senate File 239 is a bill that seeks to define cell-cultured meat and poultry, or other cell-cultured food products and requiring food labels that identify a product that contains such cell-cultured product. ADVERTISEMENT The definition in the bill for cell-cultured food means “a food grown from animal or plant cells in a controlled environment.” While the bill started out with a focus on meat, the bill was amended so that any cell-cultured food, whether meat or plant-based, must be properly labeled for consumers to know what it is used in the food. The bill states that these cell-cultured products are to be labeled as such to prevent “fraud and deception in the manufacture, use, sale, and transportation” of food. That could include a label, stamp, stencil, mark or brand that plainly shows the purchaser that the food contains cell-cultured food. This bill adds a requirement for restaurants to include on their menus if cell-cultured foods are contained in the menu items and which ones. That bill’s author Sen. Rich Draheim, R-Madison Lake, said he was not looking to get cultured meat banned in the state. “Unlike other states, I don’t think we should ban cell-cultured meat, or lab-grown meat, whatever you want to call it, I just want to know what we’re eating,” Draheim said during a March 21 hearing. Kaitlyn Root, executive director of the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association, testified that there is a major difference between what is grown in the pasture and what is grown in the lab. ADVERTISEMENT “Clear labeling is not just a matter of consumer choice, it’s about fair competition,” she said. “Cattle producers are not scared of competition, as long as there is a fair playing field.” Daniel Gertner, an agriculture economist for The Good Food Institute, testified that cell-cultured proteins deserve their place in the grocery aisle, and he was pleased to be able to work with Draheim on the language of the bill. Within the labeling portion, he said it was preferred that both cell-cultured and cell-cultivated terms were acceptable. “Cell-cultivated meat is not here to replace traditional agriculture. It is an emerging and supplementary protein option for interested consumers,” he said. Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen said he supports the labeling of these products. He has spoken with some companies making cell-cultured meats. He said in general, the MDA would adopt the Food and Drug Administration’s rules on these products. An amendment passed on March 25 does not hold retailers, such as grocery stores, responsible for a cell-cultured food product sold that is not labeled as such. As amended, this was sent on to the Senate Floor for consideration. This bill has a House companion, HF2170, which had a first reading on March 12. Other Midwest states have also been working on laws that deal with the introduction of cultured meat. ADVERTISEMENT In South Dakota, Gov. Larry Rhoden signed a compromise bill on March 11 imposing a five-year moratorium on lab-grown meat in the state after rejecting a permanent ban last month, according to South Dakota Searchlight. North Dakota in 2019 passed a law prohibiting cell-cultured proteins from being marketed as meat. A bill passed in the 2025 North Dakota Legislature asked that Legislative Management consider studying cell-cultured protein and the status of litigation to prohibit cell-cultured protein.