“‘We Will Save Our Beef’: Florida Bans Lab-Grown Meat” Article Reflection No. 95 (5/5/2024)

Article:  “‘We Will Save Our Beef’: Florida Bans Lab-Grown Meat”

Reflection:

In the article ““‘We Will Save Our Beef’: Florida Bans Lab-Grown Meat,” journalist Dionne Searcey reports on Florida’s ban on lab-grown meat, which start-up companies are increasingly expanding technology for. With primary concerns including consumer public safety and the impact that lab-grown meat industries may have on current poultry or beef industries, this ban reflects the state’s climate-related priorities. Critic(s) like Lindsay Cross, a Democrat State Representative in Florida, state that the ban undermines “‘free enterprise;’” another challenging view is geopolitical and asserts that this ban implies a weaker US in the race to lab-grown meat production (Searcey). Proponents claim that those who encourage lab-grown meat want to “eliminate meat, cattle and chickens” (Searcey). This discussion over lab-grown meat also reflects on political party line divisions; according to Searcy, those who are more liberal tend to be vegan. 

Consumer choices are ultimately what decides whether or not a product is on a shelf. I wonder whether there is a quantifiable way to figure out how many people it takes (and in what specific regions) in order to impact a big industry like the poultry or beef industry. Especially after the agriculture unit in my AP Human Geography class, it is interesting to consider.