Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate bill 261 into law on June 20, halting the sale of cell-cultured protein for human consumption. The law takes effect on September 1, 2025, and includes criminal and civil penalties for violations. The ban will remain in place for two years, expiring on September 1, 2027.
“Governor Abbott signed SB 261 into law to protect Texas’ thriving cattle industry and consumers while simultaneously providing time for further research into cell-cultured protein technologies,” said Press Secretary Andrew Mahaleris in a statement to The Dallas Express.
The law makes it “unlawful and prohibited” to offer or sell lab-grown meat in Texas and introduces stricter definitions for meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and related products. It bans any “analogue product” or lab-grown substitute, requiring that meat be raised using natural and traditional methods.
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Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller applauded the move, saying it would protect ranchers, producers, and consumers.
“Texans have a God-given right to know what’s on their plate, and for millions of Texans, it better come from a pasture, not a lab,” Miller said. “It’s plain cowboy logic that we must safeguard our real, authentic meat industry from synthetic alternatives.”
State Sen. Charles Perry and State Rep. Stan Gerdes, both Republicans, sponsored the bill with support from numerous other GOP lawmakers.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture first approved cell-cultivated chicken for sale in 2023, and select restaurants in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. began serving it. The World Economic Forum promoted lab-grown meat in 2020 as a “sustainable alternative” to traditional meat production.
“We need images of cultured meat that appear familiar and delicious, otherwise consumers will think the opposite before products even reach their plates,” said Max Elder, former Research Director at the Food Futures Lab.
Miller concluded with a clear stance:
“Texans feed the world with real food from real animals raised by real people,” he said. “Lab-grown meat just doesn’t belong in Texas, and now, it doesn’t have a place on our tables.”
