Italian government set to ban cultured meat

The Italian government has recently approved a draft law that would ban the production and commercialisation of cultivated – or cultured – meat for human and animal consumption. The reason, the government argues, is to preserve the Italian food and culinary heritage and protect human health and the national agri-food industry. If the law is passed by both houses of parliament, those who produce, export, or import food grown from animal cells would face fines of up to €60,000 and risk having their manufacturing plants closed.

The legislative initiative is said to have its origin in a petition launched by the national farmers’ association Coldiretti against ‘synthetic foods’. They argue that homegrown products need to be protected from ‘the attacks of multinational companies’ and that food grown from animal cells could negatively affect the quality of Italian produce. On the opposing side, critics argue that cultivated meat has the potential to reduce environmental impacts and improve food security and safety, and, as such, it should not be banned. There are also arguments that the law could have a negative impact on research and innovation in Italy.

Cultivated meat is obtained by taking fat and muscle cells from live animals and making them grow and differentiate in a nutrient broth in a bioreactor. Then 3D scaffolds or bioprinting techniques are used to approximate the texture of various meat cuts. The first cultivated meat product, a hamburger, was presented in 2013 by researchers in the Netherlands. In 2020, Singapore became the first country to approve the commercialisation of cultivated chicken nuggets, while the US Food and Drug Administration pre-approved two similar products. In the EU, cultivated meat products are not yet authorised.