*HB1425.1*
January 27, 2025
HOUSE BILL No. 1425
_____
DIGEST OF HB 1425 (Updated January 23, 2025 9:41 am - DI 148)
Citations Affected: IC 15-17; IC 35-52.
Synopsis: Lab grown meat labeling. Prohibits a person from
intentionally misbranding a cultivated meat product as a meat product.
Provides that the cultivated meat product is misbranded as a meat
product if the cultivated meat product is: (1) advertised; (2) labeled; or
(3) offered for sale or sold; in a manner that does not clearly indicate
that it is a cultivated meat product or not in accordance with rules
adopted by the board of animal health (BOAH). Requires BOAH to
administer the chapter.
Effective: July 1, 2025.
Baird, King, Moed
January 13, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Agriculture and Rural
Development.
January 27, 2025, amended, reported — Do Pass. Referred to Committee on Judiciary
pursuant to Rule 126.2.
HB 1425—LS 7595/DI 150 January 27, 2025
First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025)
PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the
word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds
a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
HOUSE BILL No. 1425
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
agriculture and animals.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
1 SECTION 1. IC 15-17-2-22.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA
2 CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS
3 [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 22.5. "Cultivated meat product"
4 means animal protein grown in a facility from extracted animal
5 stem cells and arranged in a similar structure as animal tissues to
6 replicate the sensory and nutritional profiles of meat products.
7 SECTION 2. IC 15-17-2-54, AS ADDED BY P.L.2-2008,
8 SECTION 8, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
9 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 54. (a) "Meat food product" and "meat product"
10 means a product capable of use as human food that is made wholly or
11 in part from meat or other part of the carcass of:
12 (1) cattle;
13 (2) sheep;
14 (3) swine;
15 (4) equines;
16 (5) bison;
17 (6) farm raised cervidae;
HB 1425—LS 7595/DI 150 2
1 (7) ratitae; or
2 (8) goats.
3 (b) The term does not include products that:
4 (1) contain meat or other parts of such carcasses only in a
5 relatively small proportion; or
6 (2) historically have not been considered by consumers as
7 products of the meat food industry and that are exempted from
8 definition as a meat food product by the state veterinarian under
9 conditions the state veterinarian prescribes to ensure that the meat
10 or other parts of the carcass contained in the product are not
11 adulterated and that the products are not represented as meat food
12 products.
13 (c) The term does not include a cultivated meat product.
14 (d) The term does not include an alternative meat product.
15 SECTION 3. IC 15-17-2-83, AS ADDED BY P.L.2-2008,
16 SECTION 8, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
17 JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 83. (a) "Person" means any individual, trustee,
18 receiver, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, and any
19 other firm, organization, association, cooperative, or group of
20 individuals or persons.
21 (b) "Person", for purposes of IC 15-17-5-6.5, means any
22 individual, trustee, receiver, corporation, limited liability company,
23 partnership, official establishment (as defined in IC 15-17-2-72),
24 and any other firm, organization, association, cooperative, or
25 group of individuals or persons.
26 SECTION 4. IC 15-17-5-6.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
27 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
28 1, 2025]: Sec. 6.5. (a) A person that labels meat products shall not
29 knowingly and intentionally misbrand a cultivated meat product
30 as a meat product.
31 (b) A cultivated meat product is misbranded as a meat product
32 if the cultivated meat product is:
33 (1) advertised;
34 (2) labeled; or
35 (3) offered for sale or sold;
36 in a manner that does not clearly indicate that it is a cultivated
37 meat product or not in accordance with rules adopted by the
38 board.
39 (c) The board shall investigate complaints that a person:
40 (1) offered for sale; or
41 (2) sold;
42 cultivated meat product misbranded as a meat product.
HB 1425—LS 7595/DI 150 3
1 (d) A person shall include the phrase "THIS IS AN
2 IMITATION MEAT PRODUCT" on the package containing a
3 cultivated meat product.
4 (e) If the board has reasonable cause to believe that a person is
5 violating subsection (a), the board may detain product the board
6 suspects violates this chapter.
7 (f) Following the board's decision to detain the product, a
8 person may not:
9 (1) sell; or
10 (2) offer to sell;
11 the product in question until the board determines whether the
12 product in question is a cultivated meat product misbranded as a
13 meat product.
14 (g) The board may require the person to refrain from selling the
15 product in question until the board's investigation is complete.
16 (h) If the board determines that a person:
17 (1) offered for sale; or
18 (2) sold;
19 a cultivated meat product misbranded as meat product, the board
20 may require the person to dispose of the misbranded cultivated
21 meat product in a manner other than by sale to purchasers in
22 Indiana.
23 (i) The board may:
24 (1) revoke state meat and poultry inspection of an official
25 establishment that is violating this section; or
26 (2) impose a civil penalty of not more than one hundred
27 thousand dollars ($100,000) on a person that violates this
28 section. Civil penalties collected under this section shall be
29 deposited in the state general fund.
30 (j) A person who recklessly violates or fails to comply with this
31 section commits a Class B misdemeanor.
32 (k) Each day a violation continues constitutes a separate offense.
33 (l) After notice and hearing in compliance with IC 4-21.5, the
34 board may seek a court order to enjoin a person from labeling
35 meat products if the person repeatedly and persistently fails to
36 comply with this section and the rules adopted under this section.
37 (m) The board shall adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 to carry out its
38 responsibilities under this section.
39 SECTION 5. IC 35-52-15-9.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA
40 CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS
41 [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 9.5. IC 15-17-5-6.5 defines a
42 crime concerning misbranding cultivated meat products.
HB 1425—LS 7595/DI 150 4
COMMITTEE REPORT
Mr. Speaker: Your Committee on Agriculture and Rural
Development, to which was referred House Bill 1425, has had the same
under consideration and begs leave to report the same back to the
House with the recommendation that said bill be amended as follows:
Page 1, line 4, delete "laboratory" and insert "facility".
Page 2, between lines 13 and 14, begin a new paragraph and insert:
"(d) The term does not include an alternative meat product.
SECTION 3. IC 15-17-2-83, AS ADDED BY P.L.2-2008,
SECTION 8, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 83. (a) "Person" means any individual, trustee,
receiver, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, and any
other firm, organization, association, cooperative, or group of
individuals or persons.
(b) "Person", for purposes of IC 15-17-5-6.5, means any
individual, trustee, receiver, corporation, limited liability company,
partnership, official establishment (as defined in IC 15-17-2-72),
and any other firm, organization, association, cooperative, or
group of individuals or persons.".
Page 2, between lines 18 and 19, begin a new paragraph and insert:
"(b) A cultivated meat product is misbranded as a meat product
if the cultivated meat product is:
(1) advertised;
(2) labeled; or
(3) offered for sale or sold;
in a manner that does not clearly indicate that it is a cultivated
meat product or not in accordance with rules adopted by the
board.".
Page 2, delete lines 19 through 31.
Page 2, between lines 35 and 36, begin a new paragraph and insert:
"(d) A person shall include the phrase "THIS IS AN
IMITATION MEAT PRODUCT" on the package containing a
cultivated meat product.".
Page 2, line 36, delete "(d)" and insert "(e)".
Page 2, line 37, after "(a)" insert ",".
Page 2, line 37, delete "halt the person's sale of" and insert "detain
product the board suspects violates this chapter.".
Page 2, delete lines 38 through 40, begin a new paragraph and
insert:
"(f) Following the board's decision to detain the product, a
person may not:".
HB 1425—LS 7595/DI 150 5
Page 3, line 4, delete "(f)" and insert "(g)".
Page 3, line 6, delete "(g)" and insert "(h)".
Page 3, between lines 12 and 13, begin a new paragraph and insert:
"(i) The board may:
(1) revoke state meat and poultry inspection of an official
establishment that is violating this section; or
(2) impose a civil penalty of not more than one hundred
thousand dollars ($100,000) on a person that violates this
section. Civil penalties collected under this section shall be
deposited in the state general fund.".
Page 3, delete lines 13 through 16.
Page 3, line 17, delete "(i)" and insert "(j)".
Page 3, line 19, delete "(j)" and insert "(k)".
Page 3, line 20, delete "(k)" and insert "(l)".
Page 3, line 24, delete "(l)" and insert "(m)".
Renumber all SECTIONS consecutively.
and when so amended that said bill do pass.
(Reference is to HB 1425 as introduced.)
AYLESWORTH
Committee Vote: yeas 12, nays 0.
HB 1425—LS 7595/DI 150