Georgia and South Dakota Take Action on Cultivated Meat Regulatio

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Cultivated Meat: Legislative Challenges from Georgia and South Dakota

by: Food and Drug Law at Keller and Heckman of Keller and Heckman LLP - The Daily Intake

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

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As we’ve previously blogged, the regulatory landscape for cultivated meat is rapidly evolving with states like Nebraska, Florida, and Alabama taking significant steps to restrict or ban these products. The recent legislative actions in Georgia and South Dakota are the latest in various states’ efforts to regulate or restrict these products more stringently.
Georgia General Assembly- HB 163:
- On February 27, 2025, the Georgia House of Representatives passed House Bill 163, which, if passed by the Senate, would require restaurants and other food vendors to disclose whether their menu items contain cultivated meat, plant-based meat alternatives, or both. The bill defines “cell-cultured meat” as any food product artificially grown from cell cultures of animal muscle or organ tissues, designed to mimic conventional meat products.
- Similarly, “plant-based meat alternatives” are defined as products derived from plants that share sensory characteristics with traditional meat. The bill has passed the Georgia House of Representatives and is currently under review by the Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee.
South Dakota- HB 1118
- Meanwhile, South Dakota has taken a different stance with House Bill 1118, which has already passed into law. This legislation prohibits the use of state funds for the research, production, promotion, sale, or distribution of cell-cultured protein.
- The bill defines “cell-cultured protein” as any product made wholly or in part from cell cultures or the DNA of a host animal, grown outside a live animal.
These bills represent the latest developments of state-level challenges being presented to the cultivated meat industry.