Overview
- Governor Maura Healey staged a filmed signing at the State House on Thursday that appeared to declare haggis legal in Massachusetts.
- Hours later Healey clarified on social media that the move was a joke and that no state law, regulation, or executive order had actually changed.
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture has banned the use of livestock lungs in human food since about 1971, which legally blocks authentic haggis from being sold in the United States.
- A viral Instagram video of the encounter drew hundreds of thousands of views and played into large, festive gatherings of Scottish fans in Boston and a small petition started by Scottish butcher Simon Howie that had gathered roughly 500–600 signatures by mid‑June.
- Any route to true haggis in U.S. markets would require action at the federal level because states cannot override USDA food‑safety rules, so U.S. makers instead sell lung‑free substitutes that mimic the dish.