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Wisconsin bill would require labeling lab grown protein

Wisconsin lawmakers have introduced a bill that would require additional labeling for cultivated protein. 

State Senator Romaine Quinn says Senate Bill 560 would place labeling requirements on food products that contain cultured animal cells or tissue.  “I think consumers truly want to support their local farm economies and you can only do that if you know what you’re buying.”

If passed, no person could offer for sale a food product that contains cultured animal cells or cultured animal tissue derived from cultured animal cells unless the food product is labeled with the phrase “lab-grown meat.”  Quinn says, “I personally proudly support an outright ban on this stuff.  I think we’re going to see a lot more developments in science that really question what we’re eating and frankly, who we are and so I want to kind of get ahead of the curve but instead of an outright ban, we just want to allow consumers to choose for themselves.”

Quinn says it’s hard for consumers to choose if they don’t know what they’re buying.

The bill was introduced in the Senate last week by Quinn along with Senators Howard Marklein from Spring Green, Stephen Nass from Whitewater, and Mark Spreitzer from Beloit.  The bipartisan bill also has a dozen co-sponsors in the State Assembly. Quinn says, “I’d love to get this to the Governor’s desk this fall yet.”

Quinn says when consumers can see what their choices are, he says people will choose meat that was grown sustainably from local area farmers.

AUDIO: Wisconsin State Senator Romaine Quinn discusses his bill that would require labeling lab-grown protein or meat substitutes with Brownfield’s Larry Lee.