HB2244 is a bill that amends Title 36, Chapter 8, Article 1 of the Arizona Revised Statutes by adding Section 36-917, which relates to pure food control. The bill prohibits the intentional misrepresentation of food products that are not derived from the slaughter or killing of an animal as meat or other animal-derived food products. It outlines specific activities that constitute misrepresentation, such as affixing false labels, using deceptively similar terms to traditional animal products, and failing to disclose that a product is cell-cultured or plant-based when it is represented as meat or other animal food products.

The bill also grants the Department of Health Services the authority to enforce the new section, including adopting rules, investigating violations, employing personnel for enforcement, seeking injunctive relief, and imposing civil penalties of up to $100,000 for each violation. It specifies that certain representations of cell-cultured food products are allowed, such as "cell-cultured meat" or "lab-grown meat," and it does not prohibit the use of terms for plant-based products or for branding purposes that are not intentionally misleading. The bill defines relevant terms, including "animal," "animal food product," "cell-cultured food product," and "misrepresent," among others.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 36-917
House Engrossed Version: 36-917
Senate Engrossed Version: 36-917