Key Update

Two U.S. food technology companies, Upside Foods (cultivated chicken) and Wildtype (cultivated salmon), have filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas over its newly enforced ban on lab-grown meat. The companies, represented by the Institute for Justice, argue that the ban amounts to government overreach and is designed to shield traditional cattle farming from competition.

Why Texas Banned Lab-Grown Meat

In June 2025, Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 261, which prohibits the sale of lab-grown or “cultivated” meat until 2027. The law came into effect this week. Supporters of the bill raised concerns about consumer safety, product labelling, and the potential threat to family-run cattle farms. Before the ban, only one restaurant in Texas — a high-end sushi outlet in Austin — had briefly offered Wildtype’s salmon on its menu.

Industry Pushback

At a press conference, the company founders denounced the law as “unconstitutional” and a violation of consumer choice. Wildtype’s co-founder Justin Kolbeck said Americans should have the right to decide what they eat. Their lawyers stressed that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have already approved cultivated meat as safe. Supporters of cultivated protein also argue it is cleaner and safer than conventional meat or fish, since it avoids contaminants like heavy metals, antibiotics, and microplastics.

Opposition from Cattle Industry and Lawmakers

The Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and Republican lawmakers strongly supported the ban. Senator Charles Perry, who introduced the bill, cited concerns about labelling transparency, contamination risks, and unknown long-term health impacts. Rancher and lawyer Dan Gattis went further, branding lab-grown meat as being “against the Make America Healthy Again movement.”

Wider Impact

Texas has now become the seventh U.S. state to restrict the sale of lab-grown meat. A similar ban in Florida is already facing a legal challenge. If the Texas ban is overturned, Wildtype says it plans to resume supplying cultivated salmon to restaurants in the state. However, experts believe large-scale commercial availability of lab-grown meat in the U.S. is still several years away.

Source: The Texas Tribune