Originally appeared in meatingplace
South Dakota became the eighth state to ban lab-grown meat this spring, drawing media attention as lawmakers engaged in a protracted negotiation with the governor’s office, ultimately settling on a 5-year moratorium.
By comparison, Mississippi’s new law banning lab-grown dairy — the first in the nation — flew somewhat under the radar.
The state bans on lab-grown meat passed in the last two years have all focused on, well, meat. Until Mississippi’s law, lab-grown dairy has gotten a pass.
While a smaller sector than lab-grown meat, there are several companies in the lab-grown dairy space. In the US, the Massachusetts-based Brown Foods produces “UnReal Milk” and has reportedly raised several million dollars in capital. Several other startups have been founded in Israel and Singapore.
Lab-grown dairy is produced similarly to lab-grown meat. Animal cells–in this case, mammary cells instead of muscle or fatscells–are grown in a bioreactor. But instead of being harvested like muscle cells, the mammary cells make a milk product that is harvested.
The marketing strategy of lab-grown dairy also has similarities to lab-grown meat. The UnReal Milk website caricatures dairy farming (“the old way”) with a cartoon showing calves crying “Mumma…we need you” while the cow is milked. By comparison, lab-grown dairy (“our way”) shows the cow and calves together on a “forever vacation.”
And, just like with lab-grown meat, there are no long-term health studies of lab-grown dairy. This fact has driven states to err on the side of caution and prohibit lab-grown meat, at least temporarily, while the science catches up.
The preemptive strike on lab-grown dairy is a change from the reactive stance of the past. As related to me by an industry veteran, when plant-based milk first started appearing some 25 years ago, dairymen didn’t take the threat seriously. Fast forward to a few years ago, and plant-based milk had conquered 15% of total sales.
Dairy was a cautionary tale when plant-based meat products started hitting the shelves in 2019: You can either educate consumers early, or risk being replaced.
Plant-based meat has hit a wall. Retail sales of plant-based meat declined again last year. Beyond Meat’s stock has cratered and is in penny stock territory.
Lab-grown meat, meanwhile, is having trouble even making it to market given the increasingly challenging regulatory framework. Companies are left doing limited tasting events or blending a small amount of lab-grown cells with plant-based filler.
But make no mistake: With billions of dollars invested in meat alternatives and lab-grown animal protein, and an intensive public relations campaign to convince decision-makers that this kind of food is the future, these products are not going away. There’s a concerted effort now to have state and federal agencies pump taxpayer money into lab-grown products. There are strong ideological (and business) interests that want to make livestock farming a thing of the past, and they see lab-grown manufacturing as the technology to replace it.
As with many things in life, there are two options: Play offense, or play defense.
Jack Hubbard is a partner and owner of Berman, an advocacy firm in the D.C. area. He regularly provides advice and counsel to clients in the agricultural sector. He can be reached at jack@bermanco.com.