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Nebraska bill addresses ‘fake meat’ labeling issue

A bill to prevent food products from being labeled as “meat” if they do not come from livestock or poultry has been introduced in the Nebraska legislature.

The bill was introduced by Senator Carol Blood of Bellevue, who says her goal is to promote “truth in advertising”. “We aren’t going after plant-based eaters in any fashion, although that’s pretty much what the bill has stirred up in this area—there’s a lot of anger,” Blood says. “What we’re doing is saying, ‘meat is meat, plants are plants, and you should market your product to say such’.”

As a vegetarian herself, Blood says she has no problem with plant-based foods. But she wants to protect Nebraska’s livestock industry and the state’s consumers.

“I think it’s much to-do about nothing as far as the vegetarian side of it,” Blood says. “I respect their opinions, but we’re not taking anything away from them. What we’re actually doing is protecting them, just like we’re protecting the meat producers.”

Under LB 14, meat would be defined as “any edible portion of any livestock or poultry carcass or part thereof.” That definition would exclude “lab-grown or insect or plant-based food products.” Violators could be charged with a Class I misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a one-thousand dollar fine.

AUDIO: Senator Carol Blood