Nebraska lawmakers are trying to ban lab-grown meat in their state: Here's what to know

Nebraska could become one of the first states to ban lab-grown meat if legislation advanced by lawmakers earlier this week becomes law.

The bill, introduced by state Sen. Barry DeKay, of Niobrara, would prohibit the "manufacture, sale and distribution of cultured protein products," according to a statement of intent. It moved ahead Monday with a 33-4 vote, but it needs two more rounds of approval before becoming law.

In a statement released on X, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said the bill's advancement was a "major victory for Nebraska agriculture."

"The creation of this bioreactor meat is simply a dishonest attack on producers in our state – and has no place on Nebraska's grocery shelves," said Pillen, who started Pillen Family Farms in 1993.

Three states, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi, have already banned lab-grown meat. Here's more about what it is and why some states want to outlaw it.

What is lab-grown meat?

Unlike plant-based meat alternatives, lab-grown meat is made using actual animal cells. The Food and Drug Administration has a step-by-step explanation of how it's made on its website:

1. The process starts with a sample of animal cells, which can be collected in a way that "does not require harm to or death of the animal," the FDA says. 
2. A small number of cells are placed in an environment that promotes growth through a supply of nutrients.
3. After the cells have multiplied into billions or trillions of cells, more substances are added to let the cells differentiate into various types, assuming the characteristics of muscle, fat or connective tissue.
4. The material can be harvested and prepared using conventional food processing and packaging methods.

In 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and FDA reached an agreement to jointly regulate what the agencies called "human food made from cultured cells of livestock and poultry."

Only two companies, Upside Foods and Good Meat, are currently allowed to sell lab-grown meat in the U.S., though a third, Mission Barns, recently got regulatory clearance for a lab-grown pork product, The New York Times reported.

Why do Nebraska lawmakers want to ban lab-grown meat?

DeKay, who introduced the bill, said, “I believe there are unknowns about the nutritional equivalence of synthetic meat compared to naturally grown meat,” the Omaha World-Herald reported.

State Sen. Tanya Storer, of Whitman, said not banning lab-grown meat is “sending a message to the people of Nebraska that we believe it’s safe.”

“I cannot look someone in the eye right now and tell them that self-cultivated meat is safe,” Storer said, the Nebraska Examiner reported.

State Sen. Megan Hunt, of Omaha, voted against the ban, saying it shut out innovation and business investment.

“Nebraska says no before we’re even asked the question,” Hunt said.

Suzi Gerber, executive director of the Association for Meat, Poultry and Seafood Innovation, told the Associated Press that lab-grown meat isn't a threat to the traditional meat industry.

“We’re really a complementary component here,” Gerber said. “So it’s a little bit mystifying to me why any individual stakeholder would see this as a threat.”

How big is the cattle industry in Nebraska?

The number of beef cows in Nebraska totaled 1.64 million as of Jan. 1, according to the Nebraska Farm Bureau. The state's herd ranks fourth in size among the states, behind Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri.

The state's beef industry generates $10.6 billion in annual cash receipts.