The Italian government has backed a proposed bill that would ban laboratory-produced meat and other synthetic foods, in the name of protecting Italian food heritage and health.
Coldiretti, a free trade association of agricultural entrepreneurs and farmers based in Rome, along with other agriculture lobbies in Italy, collected more than half a million signatures — including that of Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni — asking for the protection of “natural food vs. synthetic food,” amidst a growing movement in support of the importance of Italian food traditions.
According to reports, the approved proposals seek to ban synthetic foods produced from animal cells without killing the animal and would apply to lab-produced fish and synthetic milk as well.