Tofurky and Good Food Institute sue to block Missouri’s ‘meat’ label law

Missouri became the first state to regulate how marketing pros use the word “meat”—and plant-based brands are fighting back.

The “Missouri Cattlemen’s Fake Meat Bill” was signed into law on June 1 and went into effect on Tuesday. It prohibits organizations from calling products “meat” that aren’t derived from animal sources.

CNBC reported:

Clean meat—also known as lab-grown meat—is made of cultured animal tissue cells, while plant-based meat is generally from ingredients such as soy, tempeh and seitan.

The state law forbids “misrepresenting a product as meat that is not derived from harvested production livestock or poultry.” Violators may be fined $1,000 and imprisoned for a year.

A similar argument is unfolding on the federal level.

Plant-based organizations and groups are pushing back against the new law.