State Representative Jerry Neyer appeared before the House Agriculture Committee on Thursday to advocate for House Bill 4076, aiming to increase transparency around lab-grown meat in Michigan. The proposed legislation mandates explicit labeling for synthetically lab-produced “meat” products.
Neyer explained, “The way we’re headed, lab-grown meat is going to become a part of life whether we like it or not. But we have to make sure people have the ability to choose whether they consume it or not. If these lab-grown products hit the shelves right next to the meat that used to moo or cluck, folks will end up buying chicken they thought was raised on a farm and was instead cooked up by some guy named Walt in a lab in New Mexico.”
US regulations permitted the sale of lab-grown chicken by two California startups nearly two years ago. Although these products are not yet available in US grocery stores, ongoing scientific research suggests they may soon be present on store shelves. Recently, researchers from the University of Tokyo developed “chicken nuggets” using a bioreactor.
Neyer, who has been a dairy farmer all his life, highlighted the efforts of traditional farmers. “I’m sure these scientists are working hard to develop these products, but our farmers have been working hard for generations to put food on the tables of people across the world,” Neyer noted. He emphasized the importance of labeling requirements, stating, “The only way real, farm-raised products and lab-grown options can exist simultaneously is with clear labeling requirements. Without them, people are going to be stuck in the grocery store asking: What came first, the chicken, the egg, or the test tube?”
The bill is currently under consideration in the House Agriculture Committee, pending a possible vote.
