Bill Text: NJ A5084 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Requires label or indication of food that contains animal cell-cultivated product.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-06-04 - Reported out of Asm. Comm. with Amendments, and Referred to Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee [A5084 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-A5084-Amended.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman SHAMA A. HAIDER
District 37 (Bergen)
Assemblyman CLINTON CALABRESE
District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Requires label or indication of food that contains animal cell-cultivated product.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee on June 4, 2026, with amendments.
An Act concerning animal cell-cultivated food products and supplementing Title 24 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in this act:
"Cell-cultivated food" means any cultured animal tissue produced from in vitro animal cell cultures outside of the organism from which it is derived to produce food or ingredients for food.
1"Commercial feed" means the same as that term is defined in subsection d. of section 3 of P.L.1970, c.338 (C.4:4-20.3).1
"Food service business" means a business that sells or provides precooked meals or prepared food for immediate consumption on or off the premises and includes, but is not limited to, a restaurant, caf�, delicatessen, coffee shop, convenience store, grocery store, vending truck or cart, food truck, movie theater, or business or an institutional cafeteria, including those operated by or on behalf of a governmental entity.
"Label" means a display of written, printed, or graphic matter that appears on the principal display panel of a food's wrapper, container, or package, or that otherwise accompanies a food at the time of its distribution or sale.
1"Pet food" means the same as that term is defined in subsection t. of section 3 of P.L.1970, c.338 (C.4:4-20.3).1
"Principal display panel" means the side of the food's wrapper, container, or package that is most likely to be displayed, presented, or shown under customary conditions of display for retail sale; provided, however, for a cylindrical or nearly cylindrical package, the surface area of the principal display panel shall constitute at least 40 percent of the product package as measured by multiplying the height of the container by the circumference.
2. a. Every packaged cell-cultivated food product that is offered for sale in this State shall have a label on the product's principal display panel indicating that the product is or contains cell-cultivated food. The label shall be easily understandable to the average consumer and also shall:
(1) be clear and conspicuous and have sufficiently high contrast with the immediate background of the wrapper, container, or package to render the label reasonably likely to be seen and read by the average consumer under customary conditions of purchase and use;
(2) be sized equal to at least two percent of the surface area of the principal display panel and shall not be obscured by any seams, folds, or other design elements of the wrapper, container, or package;
(3) be, for a cell-cultivated food product sold in bulk at retail, visible on both the outer package and the individual packages contained within unless the individual packages contained within the outer package are not intended for individual sale and contain no retail labeling; and
(4) not be deceptively similar to any food product that does not contain cell-cultivated food. A deceptively similar label means a label that could mislead a reasonable person to believe the product for sale is one the cell-cultivated food is intended to mimic or replicate that does not contain cell-cultivated food.
b. A packaged cell-cultivated food product that is not labeled in accordance with this section shall be deemed misbranded in violation of the provisions of chapter 5 of Title 24 of the Revised Statutes.
c. The provisions of this section shall not apply to a cell-cultivated food product that is sold, offered for sale, or distributed by a retailer or wholesaler that does not package or label the cell-cultivated food product.
d. The Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as are necessary to implement the provisions of this section. These rules and regulations shall include, but shall not be limited to, standards of measurement and procedures for the qualification of cell-cultivated food in raw foods, such as meats, fish, seafood, poultry, eggs, and dairy products; processed foods, such as freeze-dried, canned, or frozen foods; and prepared foods, such as pre-cooked meals.
3. a. Every food service business operating in this State shall indicate if a product offered is or contains cell-cultivated food.
b. A product offered in violation of this section shall be deemed misbranded pursuant to R.S.24:5-17.
c. The Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as are necessary to implement the provisions of this section. These rules and regulations shall include standards for indication of cell-cultivated food on menus or displays, and verbal notification for circumstances when signage is not efficacious.
4. 1 a.1 Nothing in this act shall be construed to restrict or prohibit compliance with applicable federal law pertaining to the inspection, packaging, or labeling of food.
1b. The provisions of this act shall not apply to commercial feed, pet food, or a product regulated as animal food.1
5. This act shall take effect on the first day of the 19th month next following enactment, except that the Commissioner of Health and the Secretary of Agriculture may take anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.
