Prohibiting the serving of foods containing insect proteins, lab-grown proteins imitating animal products, and genetically engineered products used to simulate animal meats at schools

This bill prohibits the serving of foods containing insect proteins, lab-grown proteins imitating animal products, and genetically engineered products used to simulate animal meats at schools. Currently, school breakfast and lunch programs may only serve foods that are deemed a nutritionally adequate meal by department of education (DE) guidelines. The bill prohibits DE guidelines from determining that any food containing insect proteins, lab-grown proteins imitating animal products, or genetically engineered products used to simulate animal meats is a nutritionally adequate meal. The bill also requires DE to indicate the primary ingredient in any plant-based protein product used to imitate animal proteins and prohibits DE from describing such products as eggs, meat, burgers, or other term commonly used to reference animal-based food products. The bill states findings by the general assembly that the consumption of foods containing insect proteins, lab-grown proteins imitating animal products, or genetically engineered products used to simulate animal meats may have unknown or untested adverse health consequences, that providing such foods as an option for children at schools is an insult to the dignity of this state’s families, and that no such options should be allowed.