The sale, service, and labeling of food products containing lab-grown animal cells and providing a penalty, the official text

2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-3727/1
JAM:skw

2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 554
October 15, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives Moses, Sortwell, Dittrich, Gundrum, Goodwin, Wichgers, Goeben, Kreibich, Behnke, Melotik, Murphy and Allen, cosponsored by Senators Quinn, Nass, Marklein and Spreitzer. Referred to Committee on Consumer Protection.

An Act to create 97.50 of the statutes; relating to: the sale, service, and labeling of food products containing lab-grown animal cells and providing a penalty.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under this bill, no person may sell or offer for sale a food product that contains cultured animal cells or cultured animal tissue derived from cultured animal cells (“lab-grown meat”) unless the food product is labeled with the phrase “lab-grown meat.” The bill also imposes certain labeling requirements for persons selling “lab-grown meat” packaged food products, including the requirements that the packaged food product’s label list all ingredients and bear the phrase “lab-grown meat.” Finally, the bill prohibits the sale or service of “lab-grown meat” food products in a public eating place or at certain state institutions, with certain exceptions.
A person that violates the bill’s prohibition may be subject to a criminal penalty of between $100 and $1,000 per violation or imprisoned for up to one year, or both.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. 97.50 of the statutes is created to read:
97.50 Labeling food products that contain cultured animal cells or tissue. (1) In this section:
(a) “Animal” means a mammal, a bird, a reptile, an amphibian, or a mollusk.
(b) “Lab-grown meat” means cultured animal cells or cultured animal tissue derived from cultured animal cells.
(2) No person may sell or offer for sale a packaged food product that contains lab-grown meat unless all of the following apply:
(a) The packaged food product is labeled with the phrase “lab-grown meat” in type or lettering at least as large as any other type or lettering on the packaged food product’s label in a color of print that clearly contrasts with its background.
(b) The packaged food product’s label includes a complete and accurate list of the ingredients contained in the enclosed food product.
(c) If there is more than one separately packaged component enclosed in the packaged food product, each separately packaged component that contains lab- grown meat bears the phrase “lab-grown meat” in type or lettering not smaller than 20-point type.
(3) No person may sell or offer for sale at a public eating place a food product that contains lab-grown meat as a substitute for meat unless such food product is ordered by the customer.
(4) No person may serve a food product that contains lab-grown meat as a substitute for meat to students, patients, or inmates of any state institutions, except
if ordered by the institution superintendent when necessary for the health of a specific patient or inmate, if directed by the physician in charge of the patient or inmate.
(5) A person that violates this section may be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500 or imprisoned for not more than 3 months, or both, for a first offense and may be fined not less than $500 nor more than $1,000 or imprisoned for not less than 6 months nor more than one year, or both, for each subsequent offense.
Section 2. Effective date.
(1) This act takes effect on January 1, 2027.
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