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Bill aims to ensure accuracy of labels on meat products
KEITH ARNOLD
Supreme Court
Public Information Office
Published: December 30, 2024
Committee members in the Ohio House of Representatives heard from the sponsors of a bill devised to increase transparency to consumers while protecting the interests of Ohio meat, poultry and egg producers as more cell-cultured foods appear in grocery stores.
Rep. Roy Klopfenstein of Haviland said House Bill 661 is designed to keep companies specializing in the sale of cell-cultured foods honest about the labeling of their products.
“We do not want to ban these products entirely, but we feel that if a product is coming to the market that claims to be a T-bone steak, it should be a real T-bone steak,” the Republican lawmaker said during an Agriculture Committee hearing.
According to HB 661, food would be considered misbranded as either a meat product or egg product if the food contains a manufactured-protein food product or fabricated-egg product and the label for the food implies it includes real meat or eggs.
“While these scientific breakthroughs are remarkable, that remarkability does not justify deceptive or misleading labeling that could harm the everyday consumer,” he said. “This bill does not mean to work against the scientific research going into these cell-cultured products, only to maintain transparency and honesty between businesses and customers.”
Klopfenstein said he and Rep. Jack Daniels, R-New Franklin, modeled the bill after legislation enacted in Iowa.
One difference, however, is a provision that requires the state directors of Health and Job and Family Services to each submit a waiver request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to exclude cultivated-protein food products and fabricated-egg products from eligibility under the state’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP.
“This bill also prohibits the purchase of misleading or deceptively labeled foods by schools K-12,” Klopfenstein said. “We feel that should also put our children in schools as a priority and not let them eat experimental food without any knowledge of the potential consequences. With all the other talk around the state regarding ‘parental choice,’ this bill gives the choice and transparency back to the parents of children K-12 of what exactly they are being fed.”
Daniels told committee members the need for the legislation is driven by the drastic expansion of alternative proteins in the marketplace.
“Presently, lab-grown meat products are not distinctly labeled, putting traditional meat producers at a disadvantage,” he said. “HB 661 ensures that both traditional and alternative meat producers operate on a level playing field, enabling consumers to make informed choices.”
Daniels said the legislation would foster both consumer confidence and competitiveness.
“When Ohio consumers buy food, they expect to get what they paid for––whether it’s chicken, beef or pork,” he added. “When that expectation is violated by mislabeled products, the consequences can be severe, from eroded consumer confidence to the collapse of small businesses. Clear and accurate labeling is the solution.”
According to analysis of the bill, any person who violates the prohibition of mislabeling these food items must pay a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each day a violation occurs.
Any civil penalties collected must be paid into the General Revenue Fund.
“The cost of groceries has surged by 25 percent in the past two years, making it more crucial than ever for consumers to know exactly what they are buying,” Daniels said. “As innovations with food production continue to develop, we must not lose sight of protecting our consumers and the traditional food industries. … Allowing products like cell-cultivated meats to be labeled simply as ‘chicken breast’ or ‘egg whites’ without clear indication of their production method deceives consumers and minimizes trust in Ohio’s food producers.”
Nine House members have signed on as co-sponsors of the bill, which awaits further consideration by the committee.
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