LINCOLN- A bill banning lab-grown meat from Nebraska advanced Monday to a second round in the statehouse after a two-hour debate. Legislative Bill 246 advanced 33-4. Nebraska would join a handful of states that have introduced legislation banning cell-derived meat. The bill was introduced at the request of Gov. Jim Pillen, who owns a major hog operation based in Columbus. Several lawmakers expressed concerns over the safety of lab-grown meat, while others called the bill a waste of time.

The proposed law doesn’t ban alternative-meat products like Impossible Burger, which is made entirely from plants. The cell-derived meat it targets is produced from animal cells, enabling the cells to multiply and differentiate into muscle, fat, and connective tissue without slaughtering animals. The bill would ban the production, import, distribution, promotion, display, or sale of any cultivated-protein food in the state.

If passed, Nebraska would be the fourth state to implement a ban on lab-grown meat. Mississippi is expected to be the third once its governor signs the measure into law. Florida and Alabama have banned cultivating and selling meat grown in laboratories in recent years. Bill author State Sen. Barry DeKay of Niobrara said the bill aims to protect the Nebraska meat industry and consumers from “adulterated food’s effects.”

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