A bill filed by Giorgia Meloni’s government in Italy would ban lab-grown artificial meat, as well as other synthetic foods.
The aim of the legislation is to protect the Italian food culture, but also to protect health.
In particular, synthetic foods derived from animal cells without the animal being killed will be prohibited. In other words, the provision concerns meat, fish, and laboratory milk.
Fines can reach up to 60,000 euros
The bill also has the support of farmers, notes the BBC. Farmers’ lobbies collected around 500,000 signatures to protect “natural foods” against synthetic foods. Prime Minister Georgia Meloni is among the signatories.
However, they are opposed by associations for animal rights because they consider laboratory meat a solution against greenhouse gas emissions.
In the meantime, the Meloni government has also banned the use of insect flour for the preparation of pasta or pizza.
In the US, the FDA gave permission last November for public consumption of meat from chicken, which meat was “grown” in the laboratory.
No similar licenses have been granted in the European Union. If this happens Italy will not be able to object to the use of factory meat due to the free movement of goods within the EU.
