STORY UPDATED: check for updates below.
Did Tennessee prohibit the inclusion of vaccines in the food supply? No, that's not true: The proposed law, Tennessee House Bill 1894, was awaiting Gov. Bill Lee's signature as of April 8, 2024, and would consider any food containing vaccine or vaccine-related ingredients as a drug. It wouldn't ban the sale of such foods, which are not currently on the market, but it would require that they have medical labels similar to vaccines or medicines.
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published by Farmers' Storehouse on April 6, 2024, under the on-screen title "Tennessee Bans Bill Gate's mRNA From Food Supply." The post's caption said:
This is a big day for the state of Tennessee. 👩🏻🌾💪🏼 We hope all other states will follow. Please be aware mRN^ can still be found in common antibiot1cs, vacc1nes used in livestock production. So farmers keep your head on a swivel and examine every input. As a cooperative we are farmers, millers, and families united against the genet1c contamination of crops, animals and people. If you stand with us please get more involved and become a farmer, member, investor, and patron of this movement.
Thank for Sharing! 😊
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Mon Apr 8 14:44:06 2024 UTC)
Rep. Scott Cepicky
Lead Stories contacted the office of Tennessee state Rep. Scott Cepicky, who sponsored the bill (HB 1894), to ask whether the social media post accurately reflects the proposed law. They stated that it does not. A spokesperson for the office provided this response during a phone call on April 8, 2024:
That headline is not accurate. Nothing has been banned.
Tennessee House Bill 1894
Proponents say the bill aims to provide consumer protection by addressing potential scenarios where vaccines might be consumed through food in the future. While such technology wasn't on the market in early 2024, ongoing research suggests it could become possible.
If signed by Lee, which is anticipated, this bill would ensure that vaccines intended for human consumption are clearly labeled and sold in the pharmaceutical section of stores, distinguishing them from vaccines used for animals. This preventive measure responds to the need for regulatory clarity if scientific advancements make edible vaccines feasible.
The bill appears below:
(Source: Downloaded from LegiScan website on Mon Apr 8 2024 UTC)
Food and Drug Administration
Asked about the Tennessee legislation, an Food and Drug Administration (FDA) spokesperson provided this response in an April 12, 2024, email. It said:
The FDA does not allow vaccines to be added to food as a food ingredient for human consumption. The law, specifically Section 301(ll) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 331(ll)), prohibits adding biological products licensed under 42 U.S.C. 262, such as vaccines, into food.
The FDA's mission (archived here) is to ensure the safety of medicines, medical devices, food, cosmetics and products emitting radiation to protect public health.
mRNA vaccines
Additionally, the legislation does not specifically mention mRNA vaccines (archived here), the main vaccines used to fight COVID-19 globally, as the headline in the social media post suggests. The wording of HB 1894 says, "Vaccine or vaccine material," which could include the mRNA shots but others as well.
Bill Gates
Microsoft founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, who is referenced in the headline, features prominently in many conspiracy theories surrounding the COVID-10 pandemic and the resulting vaccines to combat the virus.
A similar claim about Gates has been previously explored and disproven by Lead Stories:
The People's Voice
The headline in the social media post, "Tennessee Bans Bill Gate's mRNA From Food Supply," is a screenshot from an article (archived here) in The People's Voice published on April 2, 2024. The website has a lengthy record of publishing false stories in the past. It describes itself as a resource "comprised of various web pages operated by Fact Checked Limited," but it has nothing to do with fact-checking.
As of this writing, its website contains a liability disclaimer, saying:
FACT CHECKED LIMITED AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE SUITABILITY, RELIABILITY, AVAILABILITY, TIMELINESS, AND ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS CONTAINED ON THE SITE FOR ANY PURPOSE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ALL SUCH INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS ARE PROVIDED 'AS IS' WITHOUT WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND.
Read more
Additional Lead Stories fact checks of claims about vaccines can be found here.
Other fact checks related to Bill Gates can be found here.
Updates:
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2024-04-12T15:49:36Z 2024-04-12T15:49:36Z Adds context from a response by a Food and Drug Administration spokesperson.
