Pillen discusses proposal to ban sale of lab-grown meat
By Fred Knapp , Senior Reporter/Producer Nebraska Public Media
19 de Diciembre de 2024 a las 06:00 ·

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Governor Jim Pillen spoke with Nebraska Public Media News about his goals for the upcoming legislative session.
Pillen has named banning the sale of lab-grown meat in Nebraska as one of his priorities for the session that begins in January. In an interview, the governor discussed his view of the product, also known as cultured meat. It’s produced by taking animal cells and growing them with nutrients.
“You need to be a PhD chemist to have a fraction of an idea what's going in there," Pillen said. "So I believe we need to defend agriculture, protect consumers, and simply say…if you want to, if you want to eat that stuff good for you, you're just not going to buy it at a grocery store in Nebraska."
Asked if that meant Nebraskans would have to travel to another state to get it, Pillen said they could also just get it from Amazon.
Asked how he would respond if people accuse him of protecting his own business interests, Pillen, a major hog producer, said he’s proud to be the first governor in 100 years to come from an agricultural background, and someone has to protect the state’s number one industry.
The 2025 Legislative Session starts on Wednesday, Jan. 8.