Another piece of legislation aiming to restrict cell-based meat in the U.S. has been introduced—and at the federal level this time, following state bills proposed in Florida and Arizona. The School Lunch Integrity Act of 2024, sponsored by Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Jon Tester (D-MT), would ban cell-cultivated meat from use in school meals.
Specifically, the legislation would amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to prohibit the use of cell-based meat under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or the School Breakfast Program (SBP). The bill has been read and was referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.