Iowa Advances Bill That Would Ban Companies From Calling Protein Substitutes Meat On Packaging

The following report is by Iowa Capital Dispatch:

Senate File 2391 would establish fines for businesses that manufacture, package and label foods for sale in stores when their products lead to consumer confusion about whether the products contain meat from livestock. Violations can incur fines of up to $10,000.

The bill was supported unanimously in the Senate last week after it was amended to remove a prohibition on regent university research into meat substitutes.

But the bill retained a provision that would prevent schools, community colleges and universities from purchasing the “misbranded” meat products and lab-grown meat.

According to the bill, misbranded products are those that are derived from plants, insects or cultivated meat that are labeled with words such as: cow, chicken, meat, beef, broiler, drumstick, wing and several others. There are exceptions for labels that also contain “a conspicuous and prominent qualifying term” such as fake, imitation or vegetarian.

A House subcommittee voted 2-1 on Wednesday to recommend the bill for further discussion.

Rep. Monica Kurth, D-Davenport, did not support the bill because of its restriction on food purchases by schools. She said House Democrats have mixed opinions about the restriction but that there is widespread support for the rest of the bill’s provisions…