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House · Engrossed · 2025-2026 Regular Session

HB 163: Food service establishments; certain food products be disclosed as containing cell cultured meat and plant based meat alternatives; require

Last action February 6, 2026 · Senate Read Second Time

A Georgia House bill would require restaurants and other food service establishments to disclose on their menus when a dish contains cell cultured meat, and bar them from labeling it as conventional meat.

Read the full bill text

These buttons carry the bill's own text, not the summaries below. Copy for LLM, View as markdown, and Send to AI use the Markdown version: the text as filed, then the summaries under a heading that names them as ours. View raw is the text alone.

The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.

In plain language

Cell cultured meat, grown from animal cells rather than raised and slaughtered animals, is not currently addressed in Georgia's food service laws. This bill adds a new section to Georgia's food service establishment laws (O.C.G.A. Article 13 of Chapter 2 of Title 26) to require disclosure when a food product contains it. The bill defines cell cultured meat as a food artificially grown from animal cell cultures that is designed to look, taste, or feel like conventional meat. It defines conventional meat products as those made from an animal's carcass that do not contain cell cultured meat. Any food service establishment serving a dish with cell cultured meat would have to clearly note that fact on menus, whether printed, electronic, or on placards advertising the item. The bill also bars establishments from labeling or advertising cell cultured meat as if it were conventional meat. All conflicting laws would be repealed.

What the bill does

  • Adds a new Georgia Code section defining 'cell cultured meat' as food grown from animal cell cultures designed to resemble conventional meat.
  • Requires food service establishments serving dishes with cell cultured meat to disclose that fact on all menus, including electronic menus, physical menus, and advertising placards.
  • Prohibits any food service establishment from labeling, advertising, or representing cell cultured meat products as conventional meat.
  • Defines 'conventional meat product' as food made from an animal carcass that does not contain cell cultured meat.
  • Repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with these new requirements.

Who it affects

Restaurants, cafeterias, caterers, and other food service establishments in Georgia that might serve cell cultured meat products; consumers who eat at these establishments; and producers or distributors marketing cell cultured meat to restaurants.

Why it matters

Diners would gain a guaranteed way to know, through menu disclosures, whether a dish contains lab-grown meat rather than conventionally raised meat. Restaurants serving such products would face a new compliance requirement and could face consequences for mislabeling cell cultured meat as conventional meat.

Key provisions

  • Section 1 adds new Code Section 26-2-378.1 to Georgia's food service establishment law (O.C.G.A. Title 26, Chapter 2, Article 13).
  • Subsection (a) defines 'cell cultured meat' as a food artificially grown from animal cell cultures that shares sensory characteristics with conventional meat, and defines 'conventional meat product' and cross-references the existing definition of 'poultry' in O.C.G.A. § 26-2-410.
  • Subsection (b) requires food service establishments to conspicuously disclose on all menus and advertising placards when a food product contains cell cultured meat.
  • Subsection (c) prohibits labeling, advertising, or representing any cell cultured meat product as a conventional meat product.
  • Section 2 repeals any existing laws in conflict with the Act.

From the bill

“All food service establishments in the state that serve food products containing cell cultured meat shall conspicuously display on their menus, including, but not limited to, electronic menus, physical menus, and placard displays, advertising such product, disclosures stating that such food products contain cell cultured meat.”

This is the bill's core requirement that restaurants disclose cell cultured meat on menus.

“No food product containing cell cultured meat shall be labeled, advertised, or otherwise represented by any food service establishment as constituting conventional meat products.”

This bans marketing cell cultured meat as if it were conventional meat.

Discussed in meetings (8)

The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.

  1. Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee, February 4, 2026

    From 0:18:49 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would extend grocery-store disclosures for cell-cultured meat and plant-based meat alternatives to food-service establishments, including food trucks and convenience-store food service. The sponsor said menus or placards would identify these products and health inspectors would enforce compliance through restaurant health scores. Asked about availability, the sponsor said cell-cultured meat was growing but had no known Georgia sellers. A Georgia Restaurant Association witness estimated that zero or one U.S. restaurants currently sold it. The witness supported cell-cultured meat disclosures but sought removal of plant-based products, arguing restaurants already identify them and additional rules would burden operators. The witness reported no known cases of restaurants substituting plant-based burgers without disclosure and said misleading menus already violate health rules. Members questioned inspections, implementation time and labeling familiar products. The sponsor said FDA oversees cell-cultured meat, menus could use asterisks with disclosures, and restaurants would have months to update menus. The witness believed FDA inspected plant-based products but could not explain the process. Members favoring plant-based disclosures emphasized consumer information; supporters of removal emphasized reducing regulation. The committee voted 5–3 to remove plant-based alternatives, then approved coverage of electronic menus, physical menus and placards. The chair declared the amended bill passed unanimously and headed to Rules, although a voice expressed opposition during the final vote.

  2. Senate Rules Committee, March 16, 2026

    From 0:34:56 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: A senator presenting HB 163 on behalf of its sponsor said restaurants and other food service establishments would have to identify lab-created meat on their menus. Asked whether any Georgia facilities were producing it, the presenter said they knew of none. Asked whether establishments were selling it, the presenter said they understood some were doing so without menu disclosure but did not identify any businesses. No vote followed.

  3. Senate Rules Committee, March 18, 2026

    From 0:19:51 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: A committee member speaking for the sponsor said HB 163 would require restaurants and other food establishments selling cell-cultured meat to identify it on both printed and digital menus. No substantive questions or calendar action followed.

  4. Senate Rules Committee, March 19, 2026

    From 0:26:41 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would require restaurants selling lab-grown meat to label it. The chair asked about earlier presentations, and the sponsor said a senator had presented the proposal during the previous two days. No scheduling decision was recorded.

  5. Senate Rules Committee, March 20, 2026

    From 0:39:47 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: During the consideration-list review, members identified the bill as dealing with cultured meat. No explanation of its requirements, substantive questions or calendar decision followed.

  6. Senate Rules Committee, March 23, 2026

    From 0:35:30 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair briefly identified HB 163 as a measure concerning meat alternatives. No specific requirements, questions or vote were discussed.

Status timeline

  1. 2026-02-06Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
  2. 2026-02-05Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
  3. 2025-02-28Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
  4. 2025-02-27House Passed/Adopted (House)
  5. 2025-02-27House Third Readers (House)
  6. 2025-02-12House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
  7. 2025-01-30House Second Readers (House)
  8. 2025-01-29House First Readers (House)
Show full history (9 actions)
  1. 2025-01-28House Hopper (House)

Sponsors

  • Jordan Ridley (R, HD-22)Primary sponsor
  • Jason Ridley (R, HD-6)
  • Leesa Hagan (R, HD-156)
  • Kasey Carpenter (R, HD-4)
  • Brent Cox (R, HD-28)
  • Mitchell Horner (R, HD-3)
  • Jason T. Dickerson (R, SD-21)

Votes

  1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 27, 2025

    161 yea, 3 nay (3 not voting, 13 excused)

    PASSAGE: House Vote #109

Topics

  • food labeling
  • cell cultured meat
  • restaurant regulations
  • consumer disclosure

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HB163: Food service establishments; certain food products be disclosed as containing cell cultured meat and plant based meat alternatives; require | Georgia Commons