Misbranding/Cell-Cultured Meat/WNC Donations.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 2
HOUSE BILL 135
Committee Substitute Favorable 4/29/25

Short Title: Misbranding/Cell-Cultured Meat/WNC Donations. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
February 18, 2025
*H135-v-2*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO REQUIRE LA BELING OF CELL -CULTURED FOOD PRODUCTS; T O 2
PROHIBIT COMMUNITY C OLLEGES, UNIVERSITIE S, AND PUBLIC SCHOOL S 3
FROM PURCHASING CELL -CULTURED FOOD PRODU CTS; TO ESTABLISH A 4
VOLUNTARY DONATION P ROGRAM TO SUPPORT FA RMS AFFECTED BY 5
HURRICANE HELENE; AN D TO APPROPRIATE FUN DS FOR A FARM AND 6
FORESTRY DISASTER RELIEF EFFICIENCY AUDIT. 7
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 8
9
REQUIRE LABELING OF CELL-CULTURED FOOD PRODUCTS 10
SECTION 1.(a) G.S. 106-549.15 reads as rewritten: 11
"§ 106-549.15. Definitions. 12
As used in this Article, except as otherwise specified, the following terms shall have the 13
meanings stated below: 14
… 15
(1a) "Agricultural food animal " means a domesticated animal belonging to the 16
bovine, caprine, ovine, or porcine species. 17
… 18
(5a) "Cell-cultured food product" means a food product having one or more 19
sensory attributes that resemble a type of tissue originating from an 20
agricultural food animal but that, in lieu of being derived from meat 21
processing, is derived from manufacturing cells, in which one or more stem 22
cells are initially isolated from an agricultural food animal, are grown in vitro, 23
and may be manipulated, as part of a manufacturing operation. 24
(5b) "Close proximity" means any of the following: 25
a. Immediately before or after the name of the product. 26
b. In the line of the label immediately before or after the line containing 27
the name of the product. 28
c. Within the same phrase or sentence containing the name of the 29
product. 30
… 31
(9a) "Identifying meat term " means any word or phrase that states, indicates, 32
suggests, or describes a meat product, regardless of whether the word or 33
phrase is used individually, as a portmanteau, or as a compound word. Th is 34
term includes all of the following: 35
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 135-Second Edition
a. A common name for the species of the agricultural food animal subject 1
to slaughter and processing, including a calf or cow, goat or kid, hog 2
or pig, lamb, or sheep. 3
b. A common name for a characteristic of a species of the agricultural 4
food animal subject to slaughter and p rocessing based on age, breed, 5
or sex. 6
c. Meat; beef or veal; cabrito or chevon; lamb or mutton; or pork. 7
d. A common name used to describe a major cut of a meat of an 8
agricultural food animal slaughtered and processed, including a major 9
meat cut specified in 9 C.F.R. § 317.344, or the common name of an 10
organ or offal, including heart, liver, kidney, or tongue. 11
e. Any other common name that a reasonable purchaser would 12
immediately and exclusively associate with a meat product prepared 13
for sale in normal com mercial channels such as bacon, baloney, 14
bologna, bone, brat or bratwurst, brisket, burger or hamburger, butt, 15
chop, chuck, cold cut, cutlet, filet, flat iron, frank or frankfurter, ham, 16
hock, hot dog, jerky, liverwurst, loin, London broil, lunch meat, New 17
York strip, pepperoni, porterhouse, ribeye, roast, rib or sparerib, 18
salami, sausage, shank, sirloin, tenderloin, or a comparable word or 19
phrase. 20
… 21
(14) "Meat food product" means any product capable of use as human food that is 22
made wholly or in part from any meat or other portion of the carcass of any 23
cattle, sheep, swine, goats, bison, fallow deer, or red deer, or any cell-cultured 24
food product made from cells of those animals , excepting products that 25
contain meat or other portions of such carcasses only in a relatively small 26
proportion or historically have not been considered by consumers as products 27
of the meat food industry, and that are exempted from definition as a meat 28
food product by the Board under such conditions as it may prescribe to assure 29
that the meat or other portions of such carcasses contained in such product are 30
not adulterated and that such products are not represented as meat food 31
products. This term as applied to food products of equines shall have a 32
meaning comparable to that provided in this subdivision with respect to cattle, 33
sheep, swine, goats, and bison. 34
(15) "Misbranded" shall apply to any carcass, part thereof, meat or meat food 35
product under one or more of the following circumstances: 36
a. If its labeling is false or misleading in any particular; 37
b. If it is offered for sale under the name of another food; 38
c. If it is imitation of another food, unless its label bears, in type of 39
uniform size and prominence, the word "imitation" and immediately 40
thereafter, the name of the food imitated; 41
… 42
m. The product is a cell -cultured food product and it is not labeled in 43
accordance with G.S. 106-549.28A. 44
… 45
(21a) "Qualifying term " means a word , compound word, or phrase that would 46
clearly disclose to a reasonable purchaser of meat food products that a food 47
product is a cell-cultured meat product. This includes the following terms: 48
"cell-cultured," "fake," "lab-grown," or "grown in a lab." 49
(21b) "Ratite" means a bird whose breastbone is smooth so that flight muscles 50
cannot attach, such as an ostrich, an emu, and a rhea. These birds are subject 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 135-Second Edition Page 3
to the provisions of this Article and Article 49C to the same extent as any other 1
meat food product. 2
…." 3
SECTION 1.(b) Article 49B of Chapter 106 of the General Statutes is amended by 4
adding a new section to read: 5
"§ 106-549.28A. Labeling of cell-cultured food products. 6
(a) The label of a ny cell-cultured food product that contains an identifying meat term 7
shall also contain in at least 20-point font or the size of the surrounding type, whichever is greater, 8
and in close proximity to the name of the product, an appropriate qualifying term. 9
(b) A cell-cultured food product that does not meet the requirements of this section shall 10
be deemed misbranded for purposes of this Article." 11
SECTION 1.(c) G.S. 106-549.51 reads as rewritten: 12
"§ 106-549.51. Definitions. 13
For purposes of this Article, the following terms shall have the meanings stated below: 14
… 15
(4a) "Cell-cultured food product" means a food product having one or more 16
sensory attributes that resemble a type of tissue originating from poultry but 17
that, in lieu of being derived from meat processing, is derived from 18
manufacturing cells, in which one or more stem cells are initially isolated from 19
poultry, are grown in vitro, and may be manipulated, as part of a 20
manufacturing operation. 21
(4b) "Close proximity" means any of the following: 22
a. Immediately before or after the name of the product. 23
b. In the line of the label immediately before or after the line containing 24
the name of the product. 25
c. Within the same phrase or sentence containing the name of the 26
product. 27
… 28
(10a) "Identifying poultry term " means any word or phrase that states, indicates, 29
suggests, or describes a poultry product, regardless of whether the word or 30
phrase is used individually, as a portmanteau, or as a compound word. This 31
term includes all of the following: 32
a. A common name for the species of the poultry subject to slaughter and 33
processing, including chicken, poultry, or turkey. 34
b. A common name for a characteristic of a species of the poultry subject 35
to slaughter and processing based on age, breed, or sex. 36
c. Meat, broiler, fryer, poulet, or yearling. 37
d. A common name used to describe a major cut of poultry slaughtered 38
and processed, including a poultry product such as breast, drumstick, 39
giblet, thigh, or wing; or the common name of an organ or offal, 40
including gizzard, heart, liver, kidney, or tongue. 41
e. Any other common name that a reasonable purchaser would 42
immediately and exclusively associate with a poultry product prepared 43
for sale in normal commercial channels. 44
… 45
(17) "Misbranded" shall apply to any poultr y product under one or more of the 46
following circumstances: 47
a. If its labeling is false or misleading in any particular; 48
b. If it is offered for sale under the name of another food; 49
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 4 House Bill 135-Second Edition
c. If it is an imitation of another food, unless its label bears, in type of 1
uniform size and prominence, the word "imitation" and immediately 2
thereafter, the name of the food imitated; 3
… 4
m. If it is a cell-cultured food product and it is not labeled in accordance 5
with G.S. 106-549.55(e). 6
… 7
(26) "Poultry product" means any poultry carcass, or part thereof; or any product 8
which is made wholly or in part from any poultry carcass or part thereof, or 9
any cell-cultured food product made from cells of poultry, excepting products 10
which contain poultry in gredients only in a relatively small proportion or 11
historically have not been considered by consumers as products of the poultry 12
food industry, and which are exempted by the Board from definition as a 13
poultry product under such conditions as the Board may prescribe to assure 14
that the poultry ingredients in such products are not adulterated and that such 15
products are not represented as poultry products. 16
… 17
(28a) "Qualifying term " means a word , compound word, or phrase that would 18
clearly disclose to a reasonab le purchaser of poultry products that a food 19
product is a cell-cultured food product. This includes the following terms: 20
"cell-cultured," "fake," "lab-grown," or "grown in a lab." 21
…." 22
SECTION 1.(d) G.S. 106-549.55 reads as rewritten: 23
"§ 106 -549.55. Labeling standards; false and misleading labels.labels; labeling of 24
cell-cultured food products. 25
… 26
(e) The label of any cell-cultured food product that contains an identifying poultry term 27
shall also contain in at least 20-point font or the size of the surrounding type, whichever is greater, 28
and in close proximity to the name of the product, an appropriate qualifying term." 29
SECTION 1.(e) This section becomes effective October 1, 2025, and applies to 30
products sold or offered for sale on or after that date. 31
32
PROHIBIT COMMUNITY COLLEGES, PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES, AND PUBLIC 33
SCHOOLS FROM PURCHASING CELL-CULTURED FOOD PRODUCTS 34
SECTION 2.(a) G.S. 115C-12 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read: 35
"(50) Purchases of meat and poultry products. – The State Board of Education shall 36
prohibit public school units from purchasing cell-cultured food product s as 37
defined in G.S. 106-549.15 or G.S. 106-549.51." 38
SECTION 2.(b) Part 2 of Article 17 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is 39
amended by adding a new section to read: 40
"§ 115C-264.6. Purchases of meat and poultry products. 41
Local boards of education shall prohibit local school admi nistrative units from purchasing 42
cell-cultured food products as defined in G.S. 106-549.15 or G.S. 106-549.51." 43
SECTION 2.(c) G.S. 115C-218.75 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 44
"(p) Purchases of Meat and Poultry Products. – A charter school shall not purchase 45
cell-cultured food products as defined in G.S. 106-549.15 or G.S. 106-549.51." 46
SECTION 2.(d) G.S. 115C-238.66 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read: 47
"(23) Purchases of meat and poultry products. – A regional school shall not purchase 48
cell-cultured food product s as defined in G.S. 106-549.15 or 49
G.S. 106-549.51." 50
SECTION 2.(e) G.S. 116-239.8(b)(4)c. reads as rewritten: 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
House Bill 135-Second Edition Page 5
"c. Food services. – The laboratory school shall strive to ensure that one 1
hundred percent (100%) muscadine gr ape juice is made available to 2
students as a part of the school's nutrition program or through the 3
operation of the school's vending facilities. The laboratory school shall 4
not purchase cell-cultured food products as defined in G.S. 106-549.15 5
or G.S. 106-549.51. Upon request, the local school administrative unit 6
in which the laboratory school is located shall administer the National 7
School Lunch Program for the laboratory school in accordance with 8
G.S. 115C-264." 9
SECTION 2.(f) G.S. 115D-20 reads as rewritten: 10
"§ 115D-20. Powers and duties of trustees. 11
The trustees of each institution shall constitute the local administrative board of such 12
institution, with such powers and duties as are provided in this Chapter and as are delegated to it 13
by the State Board of Community Colleges. The powers and duties of trustees shall include the 14
following: 15
… 16
(16) To establish policies to prevent the purchase of cell-cultured food products as 17
defined in G.S. 106-549.15 or G.S. 106-549.51." 18
SECTION 2.(g) Part 5 of Article 1 of Chapter 116 of the General Statutes is amended 19
by adding a new section to read: 20
"§ 116-43.26. Purchases of meat and poultry products. 21
Each constituent institution shall establish policies to prevent the purchase of cell -cultured 22
food products as defined in G.S. 106-549.15 or G.S. 106-549.51." 23
SECTION 2.(h) This section becomes effective October 1, 2025. Subsections (a), 24
(b), (c), (d), and (e) of this section apply beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. Subsections 25
(f) and (g) of this section apply beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year. 26
27
ESTABLISH A VOLUNTARY DONATION PROGRAM TO SUPPORT FARMS 28
AFFECTED BY HURRICANE HELENE 29
SECTION 3.(a) Definitions. – Unless otherwise provided, the following definitions 30
apply in this section: 31
(1) Affected area. – The counties designated before, on, or after the effective date 32
of this section under a major disaster declaration by the President of the United 33
States under the Stafford Act (P.L. 93-288) as a result of Hurricane Helene. 34
(2) Department. – The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. 35
(3) Foundation. – The North Carolina Foundation for Soil and Water 36
Conservation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. 37
(4) Fund. – The Western North Carolina Farm Relief Fund established in 38
subsection (b) of this section. 39
SECTION 3.(b) There is created the Western North Carolina Farm Relief Fund as 40
an interest-bearing, nonreverting special fund in the Department of Agriculture and Consumer 41
Services. The State Treasurer shall be the custodian of the Fund and shall invest its assets in 42
accordance with the provisions of G.S. 147-69.2 and G.S. 147-69.3. The Department shall award 43
grants from the Fund to individual farmers located in the affected area with verifiable crop losses 44
or damage to farm infrastructure due to Hurricane Helene to assist with any of the following 45
priorities: 46
(1) Removal of debris from stream channels, road culverts, and bridges. 47
(2) Reshape and protect eroded banks. 48
(3) Repair damaged drainage facilities. 49
(4) Establish cover on critically eroding lands. 50
(5) Repair damaged levees and structures. 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
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(6) Repair conservation practices. 1
SECTION 3.(c) The Department, in collaboration with the Foundation, shall develop 2
a voluntary plan by which retailers may offer consumers the option to round up the amount of 3
their purchases to the nearest dollar or make a greater contribution and remit the collected funds 4
to the Fund. The Department shall develop criteria for the prioritization of funds and 5
requirements for the matching of funds by grant recipients, if any. A retailer may retain one 6
percent (1%) of the funds collected by the retailer to offset the costs of participation in the 7
program. The Foundation may use up to one percent (1%) of the funds in the Fund for the 8
administration of the program and two percent (2%) of the funds in the Fund for marketing and 9
advertising of the program. 10
SECTION 3.(d) This section is effective when it becomes law and expires June 30, 11
2030. Any unexpended, unencumbered funds remaining in the Fund on June 30, 2030, shall 12
revert to the State Emergency Response and Disaster Relief Fund established in 13
G.S. 166A-19.42. 14
15
FARM AND FORESTRY DISASTER RELIEF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY AUDIT 16
SECTION 4.(a) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 17
Agriculture and Consumer Services the amount of one million five hundred thousand dollars 18
($1,500,000) in nonrecurring funds f or the 2025 -2026 fiscal year for the Department, in 19
consultation with North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, and 20
North Carolina Cooperative Extension, in the 2025 -2026 and 2026 -2027 fiscal years to map 21
damage to agricultural and forestry operations in Western North Carolina using drone and 22
satellite data in order to determine the efficiency of the State's response to Hurricane Helene. The 23
Department shall take all steps necessary to establish baseline data as soon as possible in the 24
2025-2026 fiscal year. The Department shall compare the baseline data to data collected as soon 25
as possible after the beginning of the 2026 -2027 fiscal year. The Department shall report its 26
findings to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic 27
Resources no later than February 1, 2027. 28
SECTION 4.(b) The funds appropriated under this section shall not revert but shall 29
remain available for purposes consistent with this section until the project is complete. 30
31
SEVERABILITY CLAUSE AND EFFECTIVE DATE 32
SECTION 5.(a) If any section or provision of this act is declared unconstitutional or 33
invalid by the courts, it does not affect the validity of this act as a whole or any part other than 34
the part declared to be unconstitutional or invalid. 35
SECTION 5.(b) Except as otherwise provided, this act becomes effective October 36
1, 2025. 37