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Must kill to be ‘meat’: Missouri becomes first US state to regulate use of the word ‘meat’

The state law forbids misrepresenting a product as meat that is not derived from harvested production livestock or poultry. Violators may be fined $1,000 and imprisoned for a year.

ZLATI MEYER: ‘Missouri became the first state in the country to have a law on the books that prohibits food makers from using the word “meat” to refer to anything other than animal flesh. This takes aim at manufacturers of what has been dubbed fake or nontraditional meat. Clean meat – also known as lab-grown meat – is made of cultured animal tissue cells, while plant-based meat is generally from ingredients such as soy, tempeh and seitan. The state law forbids “misrepresenting a product as meat that is not derived from harvested production livestock or poultry.” Violators may be fined $1,000 and imprisoned for a year…

On Monday, the company that makes Tofurky filed an injunction in a Missouri federal court to prevent enforcement of the statute, alleging the state has received no complaints about consumers befuddled by the term “plant-based meats” and that preventing manufacturers from using the word is a violation of their First Amendment rights. Plus, it pointed out, “meat” also refers to the edible part of nuts and fruit… The meat-substitute market is expected to reach $7.5 billion-plus globally by 2025, up from close to $4.2 billion last year, according to Allied Market Research’. SOURCE…

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