Bill > H135

This bill addresses several key areas related to cell-cultured food products, agricultural disaster relief, and public institution food purchasing. First, it mandates strict labeling requirements for cell-cultured meat and poultry products, requiring that these products use qualifying terms like "cell-cultured" or "lab-grown" in close proximity to the product name and in at least 20-point font to clearly distinguish them from traditional meat products. The bill also prohibits community colleges, public universities, public schools, charter schools, and laboratory schools from purchasing cell-cultured food products, effectively banning these items from public educational institution menus starting with the 2026-2027 academic year. Additionally, the bill establishes the Western North Carolina Farm Relief Fund, a voluntary donation program to support farmers in areas affected by Hurricane Helene, allowing retailers to collect round-up donations from consumers to help farmers repair infrastructure and address crop damage. Finally, the bill appropriates $1.5 million for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to conduct a comprehensive damage assessment of agricultural and forestry operations in Western North Carolina using drone and satellite data, with the goal of evaluating the state's disaster response efficiency. The bill is set to become effective on October 1, 2025, with certain provisions applying to the 2026-2027 academic and school years.

Budget and Finance, Business and Industry, Health and Social Services

https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2025/H135