LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson signed HB 1407 or the “truth in labeling” bill on March 18. The law, which will go into effect 90 days after the end of the 2019 session, makes it mandatory to label products that comes from livestock, poultry or cervid carcass as “meat.” The bill also states that meat does not include synthetic product derived from a plant, insect or other sources like lab-grown animal cells.
Rep. David Hillman (R-Almyra) was the lead sponsor of the bill.
Arkansas is the sixth state to pass meat labeling legislation into law. Missouri was the first US state to pass a similar law.
Groups opposed to the labeling laws say it infringes on their First Amendment rights and violates federal labeling laws that prohibit mislabeling.
A $1,000 fine will be in place for each violation and revenue will go to the state Agriculture Dept.'s Plant Board Fund.