– Upside Foods and the Institute of Justice are challenging Florida’s ban on cultivated meat in federal court, arguing that it is unconstitutional.
– The ban, signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis on May 1, prohibits the sale of cultivated meat in Florida.
– The lawsuit argues that the ban violates the Supremacy Clause, the Federal Meat Inspection Act, and the Poultry Products Inspection Act.
– The ban is also claimed to violate the Commerce Clause by restricting interstate commerce.
– Upside Foods and the IJ are seeking a preliminary injunction to allow the company to sell cultivated meat in Florida while the legal challenge is ongoing.
– The Good Food Institute is supporting the lawsuit, stating that consumers should have the right to choose what type of meat they buy.
– Florida agricultural commissioner Wilton Simpson has praised the ban for protecting traditional agriculture, while Upside Food CEO Uma Valeti argues that cultivated meat should be a complement to conventional agriculture.