Ticker: Judge keeps lab-grown meat lawsuit alive; Canadian tourist numbers down

A lawsuit against Florida’s ban on “lab-grown” meat is still alive after a federal judge tossed four parts of the suit but kept a fifth intact.Northern District of Florida Chief Judge Mark Walker declined to dismiss a part of the lawsuit that argued Florida’s restrictions give an unconstitutional advantage to Florida farmers over out-of-state competitors. Meanwhile, the judge sided with state attorneys seeking to dismiss the lawsuit and their argument that federal approval of cultivated chicken doesn’t mean individual states can’t ban it.

U.S. regulators first signed off on the sale of what’s known as “cell-cultured” or “cell-cultivated” meat in June 2023.



The lawsuit had argued that Florida’s law is preempted under federal laws that regulate the interstate market for meat and poultry products. Sellers say the product is a more ethical and sustainable alternative to conventionally raised chicken, beef and pork.But lawmakers in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi have called cultivated meat a threat to their states’ agriculture industries and banned the sale of the product.

Canadian tourist numbers downThe U.S. gets more visitors from Canada each year than from any other country, according to the U.

S. Travel Association, an industry trade group, which said the 20.4 million visits from Canada last year generated $20.

5 billion in spending.But there has been a big drop in foreigners traveling to the U.S.

since President Donald Trump took office, and Canadians are no exception. There were more than 910,000 fewer land border crossings from Canada into the U.S.

last month than in March of 2024 — a more than 22% drop — according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

An Air Canada spokesman said Canada-U.S. flight bookings for April through September are down about 10%.

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