HB512 • 2026

AGRICULTURE/MEAT: Provides relative to cell cultured food products

Agriculture Education

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Rodney Schamerhorn
Last action: 2026-05-26
Official status: Sent to Governor
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest text do not provide specific details about what happens to existing products or research before the Supreme Court ruling is made.

Louisiana Law on Cell-Cultured Food Products

This bill prohibits the sale, manufacturing, and distribution of cell-cultured food products in Louisiana unless they are used for research by accredited higher education institutions.

What This Bill Does

Defines 'cell cultured food product' as any animal tissue produced from lab-grown cells outside an organism.
Prohibits anyone from selling, distributing, or manufacturing these products in the state of Louisiana.
Forbids mixing cell-cultured food products with regular meat products for sale.
Allows accredited higher education institutions to conduct research on cell-cultured food products without violating this law.

Who It Names or Affects

Manufacturers and sellers of cell-cultured food products
Consumers looking to buy these products in Louisiana
Accredited higher education institutions conducting research

Terms To Know

cell cultured food product: Any animal tissue produced from lab-grown cells outside an organism.

Limits and Unknowns

The law will only take effect if the U.S. Supreme Court rules that such prohibitions do not violate the Constitution.
It does not specify what happens to existing products or research before this ruling is made.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

House Committee Amendment #4527 AGRI Adopted

Adopted

Plain English: HCAHB512 4573 4527 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development to Original House Bill No.

HCAHB512 4573 4527 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development to Original House Bill No.
512 by Representative Schamerhorn 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 1, line 6, after "products;" and before "and" insert "to provide for effectiveness; to 3 provide relative to research conducted by institutions of higher education;" 4 AMENDMENT NO.
2 5 On page 3, after line 5, insert the following: 6 "Section 2.

House Committee Amendment #4396 AGRI Draft

Draft

Plain English: HCAHB512 4573 4396 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development to Original House Bill No.

HCAHB512 4573 4396 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development to Original House Bill No.
512 by Representative Schamerhorn 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 1, line 6, after "products;" and before "and" insert "to provide for effectiveness; to 3 provide relative to research conducted by institutions of higher education;" 4 AMENDMENT NO.
2 5 On page 3, after line 5, insert the following: 6 "Section 2.

Bill History

2026-05-26 H
Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
2026-05-25 S
Signed by the President of the Senate.
2026-05-25 H
Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
2026-05-25 H
Received from the Senate without amendments.
2026-05-21 S
Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
2026-05-14 S
Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
2026-05-13 S
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
2026-05-12 S
Reported favorably.
2026-05-06 S
Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development.
2026-05-05 S
Received in the Senate. Rules suspended. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
2026-05-05 H
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 100, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
2026-04-29 H
Scheduled for floor debate on 05/05/2026.
2026-04-29 H
Read by title, amended, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
2026-04-28 H
Reported with amendments (14-0).
2026-03-09 H
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development.
2026-02-27 H
First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.
2026-02-26 H
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development.
2026-02-26 H
Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

AGRICULTURE/MEAT: Provides relative to cell cultured food products

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 512
BY REPRESENTATIVES SCHAMERHORN, AMEDEE, BAYHAM, BROUSSARD,
COATES, CHANCE HENRY, MCCORMICK, AND WYBLE
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 3:4233(A)(4) through (14) and to enact R.S. 3:4201(24), 4210.1,
3 and 4233(A)(15), relative to cell cultured food products; to provide for definitions;
4 to prohibit the sale, manufacturing, and distribution of cell cultured food products;
5 to prohibit the mixing of cell cultured food products with certain agricultural
6 products; to provide for effectiveness; to provide relative to research conducted by
7 institutions of higher education; and to provide for related matters.
8 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
9 Section 1. R.S. 3:4233(A)(4) through (14) are hereby amended and reenacted and
10 R.S. 3:4201(24), 4210.1, and 4233(A)(15) are hereby enacted to read as follows:
11 §4201. Definitions
12 As used in this Chapter, except as otherwise specified, the following terms
13 shall have the meanings stated below:
14 * * *
15 (24) The term "cell cultured food product" means any cultured animal tissue
16 produced from in vitro animal cell cultures outside of the organism from which it
17 derived.
18 * * *
19 §4210.1. Cell cultured food products; prohibition
20 A. No person, firm, or corporation shall manufacture for sale, sell, hold or
21 offer for sale, or distribute any cell cultured food product in this state.
22 B. No person, firm, or corporation shall mix any cell-cultured food product
23 with any "meat product", as defined by R.S. 3:4743. Such products shall not be
24 offered for sale as food for human consumption.
25 * * *
Page 1 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 512 ENROLLED
1 §4233. Violations, penalties, injunctive relief
2 A. The following actions are prohibited:
3 * * *
4 (4) The manufacturing, sale, offering for sale, or distribution of any cell
5 cultured food product as defined in R.S. 3:4201.
6 (5) The removal of any condemned livestock, poultry, carcasses, parts of
7 carcasses, meat, or meat products from any place of detention without the prior
8 authorization of the commissioner.
9 (5) (6) The failure to maintain the required registration.
10 (6) (7) The making of false or misleading statements concerning eligibility
11 for exemptions from the requirements of this Chapter.
12 (7) (8) The failure to comply with the sanitary requirements provided by this
13 Chapter or the rules and regulations adopted under this Chapter.
14 (8) (9) The failure to properly destroy any condemned livestock, poultry,
15 carcasses, parts of carcasses, meat, or meat products.
16 (9) (10) The use of any label which has not been previously approved by the
17 commissioner.
18 (10) (11) The unauthorized use of any official device, brand, mark, or
19 certificate.
20 (11) (12) The failure to maintain and provide to the commissioner, upon
21 request, any required reports, accounts, books, or records.
22 (12) (13) Any assault, resistance, opposition, impedance, intimidation, or
23 interference with the commissioner, or his representatives, in the performance of his
24 duties under this Chapter.
25 (13) (14) The evasion of payment of any civil penalty legally imposed by the
26 commissioner.
27 (14) (15) The failure to comply with the provisions of this Chapter or of the
28 rules and regulations adopted under the provisions of this Chapter.
29 * * *
Page 2 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 512 ENROLLED
1 Section 2. The provisions of this Act shall become effective only upon a final ruling
2 of the Supreme Court of the United States holding that prohibitions on cell cultured food
3 products do not violate the United States Constitution; however, nothing in this Act,
4 regardless of whether such ruling is issued, shall be construed to prohibit accredited
5 institutions of higher education in this state from conducting research on cell cultured food
6 products.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 3 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.