Your dinner plate is ground zero for the next battle for free speech. Meet Florida House Bill 433. This legislation is attempting to expand food disparagement regulations - making it one of the broadest of its kind in the country.

Food disparagement laws make it illegal to knowingly make false statements about perishable food products - such as meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables, etc. This is intended to protect the agricultural industry and food producers from claims that could cause financial harm. These food disparagement laws are commonly referred to as “veggie libel laws” because they are often used against animal rights and vegetarian activists.

Essentially, Florida took one look at veggie liable laws and said hold my beer. House bill 433 will broaden their current food disparagement laws. This legislation removes the word perishable from the law. It also adds protection for agricultural practices used in producing food products. This means it would apply to all food products - not just food that is perishable. Many fear this would give Big Sugar or makers of processed food companies near unlimited power to squash criticism of their products. The mere threat of a lawsuit is enough to chill the free speech of activists, influencers, journalists and anyone else who might want to warn or educate others on the potential harm of unhealthy foods.

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Thanks for listening to Overnight Opinions, a recurring news show on topics the mainstream media isn’t telling you. Here you’ll get current events blended with spicy commentary directed at our elected leaders. You can check out Ladies Love Politics website to read a transcript/references of this episode at www.ladieslovepolitics.com. Be sure to follow the Ladies Love Politics channel on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Truth Social, Brighteon Social, Threads, and Twitter. Content also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever else you stream podcasts. Background Music Credit: Music: Hang for Days - Silent Partner https://youtu.be/A41A0XeU2ds

*** REFERENCES:

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/state/2026/02/06/florida-food-disparagement-laws-expand-in-proposed-leaf-blower-bill/88396398007/

https://news.wfsu.org/state-news/2026-02-11/a-florida-farm-bill-is-advancing-after-a-speech-provision-was-dropped

https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/290/?Tab=BillText https://www.oyez.org/cases/1963/39 https://cldc.org/aeta-veggie-libel/