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Agriculture committee advances labeling bill for cultivated meat products
Summary
The Oklahoma House Agriculture Committee approved a committee substitute for HB1126 requiring labeling that discloses the origin of cultivated or lab-grown meat; sponsors said the measure is focused on consumer information, not a production ban, and it will be reported to a subcommittee.
Representative Grego introduced a committee substitute to HB1126 requiring labels on cultivated or lab-grown meat products to state what the product contains and how it was produced. "We think the consumer has a right to know," Grego said, calling the measure a "more common sense approach."
The bill’s sponsor characterized the PCS as a labeling bill, not a ban. "It's not a ban. It's it's just a labeling bill," Grego said, adding, "if you wanna eat something that comes from a petri dish, it's right. But you should know what what petri dish it came from and what was in that petri dish that started this culture that formed what some people refer to as meat."
Representative Burb asked whether the bill could include country-of-origin labeling; Grego replied, "No, sir. Not at this time. We're, we're gonna have it on the label. What's in the package?"
Committee members clarified that the PCS leaves research and university work intact. One question asked whether any production or research of this type is currently happening in Oklahoma; Grego said, "Not to my knowledge. I know other states are, I know Tennessee, you know, they're, they're doing a lot, other states are, but to my knowledge as to date, Oklahoma is not."
After debate concluded, the committee adopted the committee substitute by unanimous consent as a working draft and a motion to pass was made; the committee reported the bill to subcommittee. The transcript records the chair instructing staff to open the vote and later: "Represent to a past. You will report it to the sub." The transcript does not include a roll-call tally for the final passage on the record.
The discussion occurred during committee consideration; no formal amendments were adopted during the floor of the committee beyond the substituted text. The sponsor and members repeatedly distinguished labeling requirements from any restriction on research or production activities in other states.
