PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 7, 2025
Right to Eat Authentic and Legitimate Meat Act of 2025 or the REAL Meat Act of 2025
This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to support, directly or indirectly, the production, advancement, or enhancement of cell-cultured meat. Under the bill, cell-cultured meat means meat that is sourced from the cells of animals and artificially produced in a laboratory.
The bill includes an exemption for federal funds of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that are used for activities related to cell-cultured meat that is intended for off-planet consumption.
People & committees
Rep. Davidson, Warren [R-OH-8] · R–OH
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Oct 9, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-07 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This proposal would prohibit federal funds from directly or indirectly supporting meat produced in a laboratory from animal cells. It would cover research, support for related businesses and organizations, Agriculture Department program benefits for products containing that meat, and promotion. NASA funding for meat intended to be consumed off Earth would be exempt.
Subject to subsection (b), no Federal funds may be used to support, directly or indirectly, the production, advancement, or enhancement of cell-cultured meat
(1) conducting or supporting research on cell-cultured meat; (2) supporting meatpacking plants, organizations, or groups relating to cell-cultured meat; (3) allowing for the receipt of any assistance or other benefit under a program administered by the Secretary of Agriculture for any product that includes as an ingredient cell-cultured meat; and (4) the promotion and advertisement of cell-cultured meat.
The prohibition described in subsection (a) shall not apply to Federal funds of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration used to support, directly or indirectly, the production, advancement, or enhancement of cell-cultured meat that is intended for off-planet consumption.
the term cell-cultured meat means meat that is sourced from the cells of animals and artificially produced in a laboratory.
Section 1 names the proposal the Right to Eat Authentic and Legitimate Meat Act of 2025, or REAL Meat Act of 2025.
This Act may be cited as the Right to Eat Authentic and Legitimate Meat Act of 2025 or the REAL Meat Act of 2025.
The funding prohibition would apply to both direct and indirect federal support for producing, advancing, or improving cell-cultured meat. The listed activities include research, support for related meatpacking plants and organizations, and promotion and advertising.
Subject to subsection (b), no Federal funds may be used to support, directly or indirectly, the production, advancement, or enhancement of cell-cultured meat, including through— (1) conducting or supporting research on cell-cultured meat; (2) supporting meatpacking plants, organizations, or groups relating to cell-cultured meat;
(4) the promotion and advertisement of cell-cultured meat.
The prohibition would also cover assistance or other benefits under Agriculture Department programs for any product containing cell-cultured meat as an ingredient.
(3) allowing for the receipt of any assistance or other benefit under a program administered by the Secretary of Agriculture for any product that includes as an ingredient cell-cultured meat;
NASA funds supporting cell-cultured meat intended for consumption off Earth would be exempt. The exception is limited by both the funding agency and the intended use of the meat.
The prohibition described in subsection (a) shall not apply to Federal funds of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration used to support, directly or indirectly, the production, advancement, or enhancement of cell-cultured meat that is intended for off-planet consumption.
For this prohibition, cell-cultured meat means meat sourced from animal cells and artificially produced in a laboratory.
In this section, the term cell-cultured meat means meat that is sourced from the cells of animals and artificially produced in a laboratory.
The supplied October 9, 2025 source snapshot records introduction and referral to the House Agriculture Committee on February 7, 2025, followed by referral to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology on March 14, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2025-10-09T03:26:20Z. 2025-03-14: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology. 2025-02-07: Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. 2025-02-07: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-07. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The supplied introduced text contains a narrow exception to its main funding prohibition. Classification as a targeted benefit is not a judgment about its justification.
NASA receives a special exemption allowing its federal funds to support cell-cultured meat intended for consumption off Earth. This preserves a narrowly defined category of support that the bill's general prohibition would otherwise cover.
Subject to subsection (b), no Federal funds may be used to support, directly or indirectly, the production, advancement, or enhancement of cell-cultured meat
The prohibition described in subsection (a) shall not apply to Federal funds of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration used to support, directly or indirectly, the production, advancement, or enhancement of cell-cultured meat that is intended for off-planet consumption.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 9, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI