Bill Description: Senate Bill 1270 would create Idaho-specific labeling requirements for cell-cultivated animal proteins.

Rating: 0

NOTE: Senate Bill 1270 is related to House Bill 24 (2025).

AMENDMENT NOTE: The Senate Amendment to Senate Bill 1270 made several significant changes to the bill, narrowing its scope considerably. The amendment addressed several of the objections raised in the original analysis, and the rating has changed from (-1) to (0). The analysis has also been updated.

Does it give government any new, additional, or expanded power to prohibit, restrict, or regulate activities in the free market? Conversely, does it eliminate or reduce government intervention in the market?

House Bill 24 would create Chapter 16, Title 37, Idaho Code, to require labeling of “cell-cultivated animal protein” sold, distributed, or offered for sale within the state of Idaho.

The bill defines “cell-cultivated animal protein” as “any animal cell-based food product produced or derived from culturing animal cells outside of the animal's body, which may be referred to as ‘lab-grown meat,’ ‘cultivated meat,’ ‘cell-cultured meat,’ or ‘fake meat.’”

It would require that “any cell-cultivated animal protein product sold, distributed, or offered for sale within the state of Idaho shall include labeling with the phrase ‘lab-grown,’ ‘cell-cultivated,’ or ‘cell-cultured.’” This labeling must “appear on the principal display panel of the packaging; and use a font size and style that ensures legibility to an average consumer and is at least equal in prominence to the product name.”

It would also require restaurants and other vendors that sell cell-cultivated animal proteins to provide “labeling on menus or equivalent notifications consistent with this section.”

The bill would prohibit labeling, advertising, or marketing any “cell-cultivated animal protein product that is not derived from traditional livestock production or wild game harvest” using “terms commonly associated with specific meat cuts, including but not limited to ‘steak,’ ‘roast,’ ‘tri-tip,’ ‘loin,’ or ‘brisket,’ unless otherwise authorized by the United States department of agriculture.”

The Idaho Department of Agriculture would be given regulatory oversight and enforcement authority. Each improperly labeled package could result in a civil penalty of up to $500. It also says, “additional penalties for repeat offenses may be established by the Idaho department of agriculture through rulemaking.”

Unlike the original version of the bill, the amended version says, “No civil penalty shall be assessed for a violation that is the result of a good-faith error, provided the violation is promptly corrected upon notice by the department.” This is an important addition.

It also says, “Enforcement under this section shall be directed to the manufacturer, producer, or person who labels or markets the cell-cultivated animal protein product, and not to a retailer or food establishment that does not alter the product labeling.”

These additions do not fully negate the regulatory burden imposed by this law, but they better balance the goal of providing consumers with accurate information and not requiring labeling of information that a manufacturer or producer may not know.

(0)