Senate Bill 148 amends various sections of the Tennessee Code Annotated to define and regulate cell-cultured food products. The bill introduces a new definition for "cell-cultured food product," which refers to food produced without slaughter by growing cells from certain species in a controlled environment. It also updates the definitions of "meat" and "poultry" to explicitly exclude cell-cultured food products. Additionally, the bill establishes that local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools are prohibited from offering or distributing cell-cultured food products in their school nutrition programs.

Furthermore, the bill allows parents to take civil action against LEAs or public charter schools for violations of this prohibition, with the potential for compensatory damages and the recovery of legal costs. Similar provisions are included for public institutions of higher education, which are also barred from distributing cell-cultured food products. The new regulations will remain in effect until July 1, 2035, and the act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 53-7-202