Italy is the first country in Europe to pass a law that forbids the production, sale, or import of cultured meat. The law was approved by the Italian Council of Ministers on November 17, 202312. It prohibits the use and trade of food and feed developed “from cell cultures or tissue derived from vertebrate animals
Members of the Italian parliament decided to outlaw lab-grown meat, a first for Europe, meaning that only the US and Singapore still allow the cultivation of meat for human consumption.
Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government is leading the legislation that would prohibit the manufacture, sale, or import of any cultivated meat or animal feed. Violators would face a fine of up to $10,000. Voters approved the bill 159–53. There is a maximum fine of €60,000 ($65,505) for infractions.
Novel cuisine has become a new front in the culture wars, thanks to the right
Francesco Lollobrigida, Italy’s minister of agriculture, stated on Italian TV that “we are safeguarding our food, our system of nutrition, by maintaining the relationship between food, land, and human labor that we have enjoyed for millennia.”
According to him, Italy is the first nation in the world to be secure from the social and economic dangers of synthetic food.
The European Union is now in charge of it.
Since there are no products on the market and no proposal has yet been submitted for approval to the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa), the action does not violate any European laws. However, other EU members may still contest the Italian policy on the grounds that it violates the “single market” accord, which permits unrestricted trade in products and services.
Since he stated that he thinks the EU “holds the principle that the identity of peoples must be preserved,” Lollobrigida is not concerned.
According to Efsa, lab-grown meat will need to undergo a safety evaluation by Efsa and authorization from member states and the European Commission, as it is deemed a novel food by regulators, the European Commission, and member states.
