Texas has issued a two-year ban on the production and sale of lab-grown meat , joining a small but growing list of states seeking to preemptively block the alternative protein from entering local markets.

The legislation—Senate Bill 261—took effect September 1 and prohibits "manufacturing, processing, possessing, distributing, offering for sale, or selling cell-cultured protein" within the state.

Newsweek contacted the Texas Agriculture Commissioner for more information via email.

Why It Matters

Texas is the largest beef-producing state in the U.S., and cattle ranchers have significant political and economic influence. Supporters of the ban argue that it protects the traditional livestock industry, while critics say the law is protectionist and unconstitutional.

Though lab-grown me

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