Texas Targets Lab Meat with New Ban Proposal
A Texas bill to ban lab-grown meat has cleared committee and heads to a full Senate vote, intensifying a growing national food fight.
The beef in Texas isn’t just on the grill—it’s in the legislature.
Senate Bill 261, a proposal to outlaw lab-grown meat, just passed out of committee and is now headed for a full vote in the Texas Senate. If approved, it would make it illegal to make, sell, or even possess lab-grown—or “cell-cultured”—meat in the Lone Star State. The bill, sponsored by Republican Senator Charles Perry of Lubbock, has backing from ranching interests worried about the impact of synthetic protein on traditional livestock industries.
Lab-grown meat is created by cultivating animal cells in a controlled environment, skipping the slaughterhouse but not the controversy. Supporters see it as a cruelty-free, eco-conscious alternative to conventional meat. Critics—especially ranchers—see it as an existential threat to their livelihoods.
Texas wouldn’t be the first to ban it. Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi have already done so, sparking a legal and cultural battle over the future of food.
For now, all eyes are on the Texas Senate. The steak—or the stake—couldn't be higher.