Florida’s prohibition on lab-grown meat will remain in place after a federal appeals court ruled this week that the state law does not conflict with federal oversight of meat and poultry products.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Florida regulators, denying Upside Foods’ challenge to SB 1084, a law that bans the “manufacture, sale and distribution” of cultivated meat in the state.
Upside Foods, a California-based company producing cell-cultured poultry, argued the law should be overridden by federal meat inspection rules and that it violated interstate commerce protections. But judges weren’t convinced.
“Because Florida’s ban on lab-grown meat does not regulate Upside’s ingredients, premises, facilities or operations, federal law does not SB 1084,” the court wrote in its opinion.
That conclusion reinforces a lower court decision that found the company was unlikely to succeed on its claims.
Florida was the first state to enact a ban on cultivated meat when the law took effect in July 2024. Since then, several other states — including Texas, Nebraska, and Alabama — have followed suit, signaling growing resistance to lab-grown protein in farm country.
State leaders have framed the issue as one of protecting both consumers and cattle producers.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson called the ruling a victory for traditional agriculture:
“Another win for Real Food – another loss for Frankenmeat,” Simpson told CBS News. “Lab-grown ‘meat’ is not proven to be safe enough for consumers.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken a similarly strong stance, positioning the ban as part of a broader effort to defend livestock producers and rural economies.
In Texas, a separate lawsuit challenging a similar ban is still moving forward. A federal judge recently allowed key constitutional claims — including arguments tied to interstate commerce — to proceed, even while keeping the state’s ban in place during litigation.
That means courts could still weigh in more broadly on whether states can restrict products that have already received federal approval. The FDA cleared the first cultivated meat products for sale in 2022, marking the beginning of what many expected to be a rapidly expanding market.
