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Missouri labeling law banning the use of the word ‘meat’ to label products other than those produced by animals challenged

-The Hagstrom Report

A Missouri law banning the use of the word “meat” to label products other than those produced by animals is being challenged by the Good Food Institute, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Animal Legal Defense Fund and Tofurky.

The law was signed by former Gov. Eric Greitens, a Republican, and went into effect today.

The Missouri Cattlemen’s Association has said the law will protect the integrity of the product of the state’s meat producers, but the coalition says it violates the First Amendment right to free speech.



“Missouri is putting its thumb on the scale to unfairly benefit the meat industry and silence alternative producers,” Stephen Wells, Animal Legal Defense Fund’s executive director, said in a Good Food Institute blog post.

“This law violates various constitutional principles, including free speech — which should be a concern for everyone, regardless of diet.”



“The lawsuit also maintains that the Missouri law “violates the Dormant Commerce Clause by discriminating against out-of-state companies to protect in-state meat producers, and infringes on the Due Process Clause because the vague language makes it difficult for companies to know what is and is not legal,” the Good Food Institute said in the blog post.


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