Tri-City Sun

State Representative Jerry Neyer has successfully advanced a proposal aimed at increasing transparency for lab-grown meat products in Michigan. The plan received strong bipartisan support in the House.

"We make soda companies label their products as containing 0% juice; why shouldn’t we require lab-grown meat manufacturers to label their products as containing 0% meat?" said Neyer, R-Shepherd. "This plan is about transparency and common sense. Real meat comes from livestock. Fake meat is nothing more than glorified bioengineering. The public deserves to know which is which at the grocery store."

House Bill 4076 proposes that all synthetically lab-grown "meat" products carry a clear and obvious label indicating their nature.

"People just want to know what they’re putting on the table for themselves and their families," Neyer stated. "When you’re shopping, and you see chicken, pork, or beef, there should be no question those products came from a living, breathing animal. People want farm-fresh, not slices of Frankenmeat."

The development follows nearly two years after U.S. regulators approved the sale of lab-grown chicken by two startups in California. Although such products are not yet available in U.S. grocery stores, ongoing research into synthetically grown meats suggests that consumers may soon encounter these items on shelves.

The proposal will now proceed to the Senate for further deliberation.