Lab grown/cultured meat

2025-2026 Bill 5096: Lab grown/cultured meat - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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This Bill
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Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
H. 5096
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Haddon, Yow, Burns, Brewer, Rankin, Chumley, Morgan, Pedalino, J.E. Johnson, Guffey, Chapman, Lastinger, Robbins, Holman, Calhoon, Davis, Cox, Brittain, Forrest, Gagnon, Hixon, Ligon, Atkinson, Cromer, Gilreath and Hewitt
Document Path: LC-0449CM26.docx
Introduced in the House on February 4, 2026
Introduced in the Senate on February 24, 2026
Last Amended on February 19, 2026

Currently residing in the House
Summary: Lab grown/cultured meat
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

2/4/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 11
)

2/4/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs
(
House Journal-page 11
)

2/11/2026

House

Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Ligon

2/12/2026

House

Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Atkinson

2/18/2026

House

Committee report: Favorable with amendment
Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs
(
House Journal-page 42
)

2/19/2026

House

Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Cromer,
Gilreath

2/19/2026

House

Amended (
House Journal-page 23
)

2/19/2026

House

Read second time (
House Journal-page 23
)

2/19/2026

House

Roll call Yeas-110 Nays-0 (
House Journal-page 24
)

2/19/2026

House

Unanimous consent for third reading on next
legislative day (
House Journal-page 26
)

2/20/2026

House

Read third time and sent to Senate (
House Journal-page 1
)

2/24/2026

Senate

Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 8
)

2/24/2026

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Agriculture and Natural Resources
(
Senate Journal-page 8
)

2/25/2026

House

Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Hewitt

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
02/04/2026
02/18/2026
02/19/2026

Indicates Matter
Stricken

Indicates New Matter

Amended

February 19, 2026

H. 5096

Introduced by Reps. Haddon, Yow, Burns, Brewer,
Rankin, Chumley, Morgan, Pedalino, J. E. Johnson, Guffey, Chapman, Lastinger,
Robbins, Holman, Calhoon, Davis, Cox, Brittain, Forrest, Gagnon, Hixon, Ligon,
Atkinson, Cromer and Gilreath

S. Printed 2/19/26--H.

Read the first time February 4, 2026

________

statement of estimated fiscal impact

Explanation of Fiscal Impact

State Expenditure

This bill makes it illegal to manufacture,
sell, hold, offer for sale, or distribute artificial or cell-cultivated food
products in the state. This bill gives authority to a department to revoke or
suspend the business license of a food establishment that manufactures,
distributes, or sells cultivated meat, to issue a stop-sale, removal, or hold
order on a product found to be artificial or cell-cultivated food products, and
to promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of Article 5 of Chapter
17, Title 47, dealing with artificial or cell-cultured food products. The
department authorized to complete the requirements of this bill is not defined;
however, the title refers to the Department of Agriculture, which is assumed to
be the department referenced.

A person who violates of the provisions in
this bill is guilty of a misdemeanor offense, which is subject to imprisonment
for up to one year, or fined up to $1,000, or both. In addition, the business
license of any restaurant, store, or other business may be suspended upon the
conviction of an owner or employee of that business that violates the
artificial or cell-cultured food product provisions.

Department of Agriculture.
The
Department of Agriculture indicates that this bill will have no fiscal impact
on the department to accomplish the new responsibilities in the bill dealing
with artificial or cell-cultivated food products as any increase in workload
can managed with existing staff and resources.

Judicial.
This bill makes it
misdemeanor to manufacture, sell, hold, offer for sale, or distribute
artificial or cell-cultivated food products in the state, which is currently
legal, which may increase the number of cases heard in circuit court. Since
this bill makes a current legal practice illegal, there is no data to estimate
the number of new criminal cases that will be filed as a result of this bill. Judicial
anticipates that any increase in caseloads can be managed with existing
appropriations. However, Judicial indicates that if caseloads increase
significantly, Judicial will request an increase in General Fund
appropriations.

State Revenue

This bill may result in a change in the
fines and fees collected in court. Court fines and fees are distributed to the
General Fund, Other Funds, and local funds. Therefore, RFA anticipates this
bill may result in a change to the General Fund and Other Funds revenue due to
the change in fines and fees collections in court

Local Expenditure

This bill may increase the number of
individuals imprisoned in local jails. The potential increase in expenses for
local jails will depend upon the increase in the number of cases and number of
incarcerations.

Frank A. Rainwater, Executive Director

Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office

_______

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING
ARTICLE 5 OF CHAPTER 17, TITLE 47, RELATING TO MISREPRESENTING PRODUCTS THAT
ARE CELL-CULTURED MEAT, SO AS TO PROVIDE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO MANUFACTURE, SELL,
OR DISTRIBUTE ARTIFICIAL OR CELL-CULTIVATED FOOD PRODUCTS IN THIS STATE, to
make a technical change, TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS OF THIS
ARTICLE, AND TO PROVIDE THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MAY PROMULGATE
REGULATIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ARTICLE.

Amend Title To Conform

B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

S
ECTION 1.
A
rticle 5, Chapter 17, Title 47 of the S.C. Code is
amended to read:

A
rticle 5

C
ell-Cultured
Meat
Artificial or Cell-Cultured Food Product

S
ection
47-17-510
.
(
A) For the purposes of
this section:

(
1)
"artificial or cell-cultivated food product" means any food product developed
in a laboratory or facility and grown from a biopsy of living animal cells
including, but not limited to, livestock, poultry, fish, crustaceans, or other
animal protein; and

(
2)
"sells, or holds or offers for sale" does not include retail sales except under
the circumstances where a retailer is also the manufacturer.

(
B)
It shall be unlawful for any person to
:

(
1) manufacture, sell, hold, offer for
sale, or distribute artificial or cell-cultivated food product in this State;
or

(
2)
label any artificial or
cell-cultivated food product as beef, poultry, fish, crustacean, or any other
animal protein that the artificial or cell-cultivated food product may resemble
for the purposes of advertising, manufacturing, selling, or holding or offering
for sale in this State.

(
C) No person who advertises,
manufactures, sells, or holds or offers for sale any artificial or
cell-cultivated food product in this State shall engage in a misleading or
deceptive practice related to an artificial or cell-cultivated food product
including, but not limited to, misrepresenting an artificial or cell-cultivated
food product as being derived from harvested production beef, poultry, fish,
crustacean, or other animal protein. The front of all artificial or
cell-cultivated food product packaging must contain a conspicuous label that
indicates that the artificial or cell-cultivated food product is not beef,
poultry, fish, crustacean, or any other animal protein that the artificial or
cell-cultivated food product may resemble.

(D)
(
C)
Each package that violates a provision of this section
shall be a separate and distinct offense.

S
ection
47-17-520
.
The provisions of this article do not apply to
plant-based meat substitutes.
Reserved.

S
ection
47-17-530
.
(
A)
A person who violates this article is guilty of a
misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned not more than one year, or
fined not more than one thousand dollars, or both.

(
B) The department may revoke or
suspend the business license of a food establishment that manufactures,
distributes, or sells cultivated meat in violation of this article.

(
C) In addition to the penalties
provided in this section, the business license of any restaurant, store, or
other business may be suspended upon the conviction of an owner or employee of
that business for a violation of this article in connection with that business.

(
D) The department may issue and
enforce a stop-sale, stop-use, removal, or hold order on a product found to be
in violation of this article.

(
E) The department may promulgate
regulations to implement the provisions of this article.

S
ECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on February 19, 2026 at 2:50 PM