WASHINGTON โ New legislation introduced by Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) would ban cultivated meat products from being served in school lunches.
The bill, referred to as the School Lunch Integrity Act of 2024, would set restrictions under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP).
โThis commonsense bill will make sure our schools can serve real meat from our ranchers, not a fake substitute thatโs grown in a lab,โ Tester said.
The first cell-cultivated protein product was developed in 2013, according to the press release from Roundsโ office. Since then, companies have accelerated research and development of cultivated meat to bring it to a commercial scale.
In June 2023, cultivated meat was approved for sale in the United States after Upside Foods and Good Meat received a โNo Questionsโ letter, label approval and a Grant of Inspection (GOI) from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Roundsโ office noted that the USDA has not yet issued any guidance on cultivated protein products in the NSLP and the SPB. Rounds expressed safety concerns due to โa lack of demonstrated research on cell-cultivated protein.โ
Several trade associations have endorsed the bill, including the US Cattlemenโs Association, R-CALF USA, National Cattlemenโs Beef Association (NCBA) and South Dakota Pork Producers.
โThe federal government should not allow lab grown protein in school lunch and breakfast programs without knowing the long-term health effects on children,โ said Ethan Lane, vice president of government affairs at NCBA. โThe lack of nutrition and allergen research related to lab grown proteins creates unnecessary risks for children, while traditional beef provides essential nutrients that provide health benefits to children. School cafeterias are not test labs, and we appreciate Senator Rounds and Senator Tester for standing up for our children and our cattle producers.โ
