Italy has become the first European country to ban the production and imports of lab-grown meat.
Italy has banned the production and imports of cultured meat, with supporters arguing the move was necessary to protect agricultural livelihoods and preserve local culture and tradition. The Italian parliament passed the law on Thursday, banning not only cultured or lab-grown meat products but also the use of meat-related words such as "steak" or "prosciutto" to describe plant-based products. Violations of the law could see fines handed out as high as AUD $100,000. In a Facebook post, agriculture minister Francesco Lollobrigida described the ban as a "brave measure", which millions of citizens had been calling for. "With this government there will never be synthetic food on Italians' tables," Mr Lollobrigida said. "[This law] puts Italy at the vanguard of the world. "We are the first country to ban it, with all due respect to the multinationals who were hoping to make monstrous profits by putting citizens' jobs and health at risk." Italy's right-wing government put the bill ...
By clicking “Accept Cookies,” I agree to provide cookies for statistical and personalized preference purposes.
To learn more about our cookies, please read our Privacy Policy.