Bill Caption

Fiscal Notes

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

Bill Analysis

SB 1145 would subject analogue products, defined as plant products, insects, or fungus designed to imitate meat, and cell-cultured products, defined as food products derived by engineering animal cells, to existing regulations on misbranding. Analogue products would be required to display in prominent type certain terms indicating it is not actually meat, such as "analogue", "meatless", or "plant-based." Cell-cultured products would be required to display in prominent type the terms "cell-cultured" or "lab-grown." If enacted, the Department of State Health Services would have to consider the extent to which the labelling of a non-meat product suggests that the food is authentic meat or derived from livestock in determining whether it is misleading.

Vote Recommendation Notes

Texas Action opposes SB 1145 because it would infringe on free markets and expand the regulatory authority of the state. Consumers should be able to choose what labeling standards they value through voluntary choices in the market. SB 1145 would replace consumer choice with government standards and limit the freedom of meatless brands to market their products as they see fit. Texas consumers are intelligent enough to figure out whether a product is or is not a livestock-derived product regardless of what is depicted on the label. It is unlikely that a Texan in search of a good ribeye will be fooled by a meatless product regardless of how the product is labeled.