2025 SESSION

INTRODUCED

25104157D

HOUSE BILL NO. 2633

Offered January 13, 2025

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 3.2-5402.1, relating to misbranded food; manufactured-protein food products.

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Patrons—Wilt and Garrett; Senator: French

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Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 3.2-5402.1 as follows:

§ 3.2-5402.1. Misbranded meat food product.

A. For the purposes of this section:

"Identifying meat term" means any word or phrase, in whole or in part, that states, indicates, suggests, or describes a meat food product.

"Manufactured-protein food product" means a cultivated-protein food product, fungus-protein food product, insect-protein food product, or plant-protein food product, or a protein food product that is not harvested directly from livestock or poultry.

"Qualifying term" means cell-cultivated, cell-cultured, fake, grown in a lab, imitation, insect-based, lab-created, lab-grown, meat free, meatless, plant, plant-based, vegan, vegetable, veggie, or a comparable word or phrase as approved by the Department.

B. Any food product that purports to be or is represented as a meat food product shall be determined to be misbranded if such food product (i) bears or contains a manufactured-protein food product; (ii) is offered for sale; and (iii) has a label that is part of or placed on the food product package or other container storing such food product that identifies the food as a meat food product, unless such label bears a conspicuous and prominent qualifying term and is in close proximity to an identifying meat term. A meat food product is not misbranded if the Department determines such meat food product contains a trace amount of a manufactured-protein food product.