LINCOLN- A bill banning lab-grown meat from Nebraska advanced Tuesday to its final round in the Legislature after a failed attempt to change the focus instead to labeling. The voice vote ended a two-day debate. Undertones of culture war politics were more on display during the second round of debate in the statehouse. State Sen. Barry DeKay of Niobrara — in a nod to some national Republicans calling similar bans around the country an attempt to stop the “elitist” class from promoting unnatural foods — called lab-grown meat an attempt by groups to undermine Nebraska beef.

Nebraska is marching toward becoming the fourth state to implement a ban on lab-grown meat. Mississippi was the third state to outlaw cell-derived meat. Florida and Alabama have banned cultivating and selling meat grown in laboratories in recent years. Nebraska is the second-largest cattle-producing state in the U.S., behind only Texas. Cattle and other livestock production are among Nebraska’s largest industries, bringing nearly $31.6 billion to the state, according to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. The Food and Drug Administration approved lab-grown meat for human consumption in 2022.

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