Lab-made meat? Florida lawmakers don't like the sound of it.

Lab-grown meat.

It sounds like a storyline from a sci-fi movie about test tube chicken fingers, but it's true.

Startup companies around the world are competing to develop technologies for producing chicken, beef, salmon and other options without the need to raise and slaughter animals. China has made industrial development a priority. In the United States, the Department of Agriculture has given the first blessings to two producers.

Now, a measure in Florida that would ban the sale of lab-grown meat has gained widespread attention beyond state lines. The bill, which is being promoted by the Florida Legislature, would make the sale or production of lab-grown meat a misdemeanor, with a $1,000 fine. It is one of six similar measures taken in the US Arizona, Tennessee, West Virginia and elsewhere.

Opponents of lab-grown meat include beef and poultry associations who worry that lab-made hamburgers or chicken nuggets could hamper their operations.

Supporters include environmentalists who say it would reduce animal cruelty and possibly help slow climate change. According to the United Nations, meat and dairy together are responsible for approximately 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Other industry mainstays include proponents of space exploration, a topic especially relevant to Florida, home to the Kennedy Space Center and site of numerous launches to the moon and beyond. Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX has its own ambitions in space, is teaming up with Israel-based Aleph Farms to research lab-grown meat on a Space X flight to the International Space Station launched from Florida.

How is this actually made?

Laboratory meat, also called cultured meat, is grown from cells taken from an animal. The animals are not slaughtered.

Then water, salt and nutrients such as amino acids, minerals and vitamins are added to the cells, which multiply and eventually become minced.

Is laboratory meat available today?

It will likely be years before lab-grown meat becomes a dinner staple in America, if at all.

But big investors are trying to make that happen. Billionaires, including Bill Gates and Richard Branson, have made investments. This also applies to actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Start-ups have spent millions of dollars designing products that both taste good and are cheap. But that takes time, and there have been stumbling blocks along the way. At least one business has closed and another recently said that it halted expansion plans and laid off employees.

But a handful of restaurants have now put cultured meat on their menus here and there.

Is it safe?

The Ministry of Agriculture approved the production and sale of laboratory meat last year. It signed off on plans by two California companies to sell chicken produced from animal cells.

Cultured meat has some skeptics concerned about allergens or contaminants, but advocates say the government's initial approvals should allay concerns. Other companies are also asking federal officials for approval.

Who wants to see these bans?

However, livestock and poultry associations are cited as the main proponents of restrictions some meat companies to have also collaborated cultured meat producers to help meet global demand for protein.

Furthermore, the development of lab-grown meat has become embroiled in America's culture wars, as have other ventures aimed at disrupting traditional food production (e.g. opposition to plant-based milk and meat that some politicians call anti-farmers). On a recent appearanceGov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, a Republican, mentioned the issue, saying, “We will not have fake meat.”

The US Cattlemen's Association is following the Florida bill and has pushed for clear labeling of farmed meat products.

Who is against restrictions?

Groups concerned about the environmental impact of animal farming oppose the bills.

It's also no surprise that companies that spend millions of dollars creating lab-grown meat are high on the list of opponents. Justin Kolbeck, CEO of San Francisco-based Wildtype, which works on lab-grown salmon, has traveled repeatedly to Tallahassee, the Florida state capital, to discuss the bill with lawmakers.

“I have more than enough challenges,” he said. “I also don't need Florida to ban making the market smaller.”

In Florida, opponents of the ban seized on a recent report Chinese state media in which government officials cited the state's proposed restrictions as something that would benefit China. This month's report said the proposed ban would hinder competition among U.S. companies. “This only strengthens China's dominant position in this area,” the report said.

State Rep. Lyndsay Cross, a Democrat, opposes the restriction, calling it “anti-free market” and adding, “If consumers want this product, they will have to look to other countries, including China.”

Didier Toubia, the CEO and co-founder of Aleph, the company partnering with Mr Musk, said: “If the US closes its doors to innovation, companies like Aleph Farms and others will be tempted to focus on global expansion on China.”

That brings us to the corner of the room. A recent change to the Florida measure would allow cultured meat research to be conducted within state lines, an effort to ease concerns about harm to the space industry.