State Rep. Jerry Neyer on Thursday testified before the House Agriculture Committee in support of his plan, House Bill 4076, to boost transparency around lab-grown products sold in Michigan. The proposal would require a clear and obvious label on all synthetically lab-grown “meat” products.

“The way we’re headed, lab-grown meat is going to become a part of life whether we like it or not,” said Neyer, R-Shepherd. “But we have to make sure people have the ability to choose whether they consume it or not. If these lab-grown products hit the shelves right next to the meat that used to moo or cluck, folks will end up buying chicken they thought was raised on a farm and was instead cooked up by some guy named Walt in a lab in New Mexico.”

Nearly two years ago, U.S. regulators approved the sale of lab-grown chicken by two startups in California. While lab-grown meat is not currently available in any U.S. grocery stores, scientists continue to research the synthetically grown products – increasing the likelihood that consumers may soon see the items on grocery shelves.

Just this week, researchers from the University of Tokyo announced they had found a way to make “chicken nuggets” using a bioreactor.

“I’m sure these scientists are working hard to develop these products, but our farmers have been working hard for generations to put food on the tables of people across the world,” said Neyer, a lifelong dairy farmer. “The only way real, farm-raised products and lab-grown options can exist simultaneously is with clear labeling requirements. Without them, people are going to be stuck in the grocery store asking: What came first, the chicken, the egg, or the test tube?”

HB 4076 remains in the House Agriculture Committee, awaiting a potential vote.

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