A bill requiring manufactured-protein food products to be labeled differently from meat has been signed into law.
House Bill 1126 requires manufacturers, distributors and retailers to label cell-cultivated, plant or insect protein products as not meat. People could face a misdemeanor if they violate the act. Rep. Jim Grego, R- Wilburton, is co-author of the bill and said the measure is a truth-in-labeling bill.
He said the measure puts the burden of proof on the manufacturer, and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry is responsible for investigating complaints. The act goes into effect on Nov. 1
"This is an effort to help protect beef producers, such as myself, against the flood of products claiming to be meat," Grego said in a press release. "Many of these products are derived from plants, insects, or even originate in a Petri dish. I believe if you as a consumer wish to consume these products there should be no doubt as to how they were produced."
The House passed the bill in an 86-6 vote and the Oklahoma Senate voted to pass the bill 40-7. Sen. Roland Pederson, R-Burlington, also co-authored the bill.
"This law is about truth in labeling, transparency, and ensuring that consumers are not misled by deceptive advertising," Pederson said in the release. "I extend my appreciation to Governor Stitt for signing House Bill 1126 into law to protect consumers and support our state's meat producers."
Earlier in the year, lawmakers were considering banning cell-cultivated meat, but that bill effectively died in a Senate committee.
While being heard in the House and Senate, lawmakers asked questions for the authors. Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, said the labeling requirements don't go far enough and he'd prefer the outright ban.
"So why are we trying to legitimize this by giving it a label instead of banning it for what it really is?" Gann said.
Grego said does not like the product, but consumers should have the option to choose for themselves what they want to eat and should know what they are buying. He also said he worries that banning certain products can move to banning other things like red meat.
"We all know where meat comes from, we all agree on that. So, let's just call it 'this is the real deal, this is the fake stuff,'" Grego said.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
