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Montana among states with ‘fake meat’ law

Montana is among the states passing laws restricting the use of the word ‘meat’ on food labels. It’s similar to a law passed in South Dakota that South Dakota Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Gary Cammack says is aimed at prohibiting food produced from cultured cells from being labeled as meat.

“It can’t be labeled meat unless it comes from a carcass,” Senator Cammack told Brownfield Ag News.

Cammack, who is a cattle rancher in western South Dakota, tells Brownfield the South Dakota measure protects what beef producers have worked hard to develop.

“We’re not afraid of competition in the food business,” said Cammack, “but we don’t want that competition trying to use our reputation that we worked hard for to build their competitiveness on our good name and the reputation that we’ve built over that last century.”

Similarly, the Montana law, called the Real Meat Act, requires products labeled as meat come from the edible flesh of livestock or a livestock product. Supporters of the Montana bill say it comes down to honesty for consumers. Opponents say it’s unconstitutional on free speech grounds.