Italy became the first country in the European Union to prohibit the manufacture and sale of lab-grown meat or say Frankenstein meat on Thursday. The restriction was adopted by Italy’s lower house, citing health concerns and the need to protect the country’s livestock economy. The country has outlawed cultured meat, which is meat made in labs using animal tissue cells. It also prohibits the use of labels that refer to plant-based protein as meat. According to AFP, violations of this ban might result in fines ranging from 10,000 to 60,000 euros ($10,900-$65,000).
The law received a green light from Italy’s senate earlier. The law says it seeks to “protect the national livestock heritage”, while recognizing its cultural, socio-economic and environmental value. It also seeks to ensure “a high level of protection of human health”, while protecting the interests of consumers and their right to information about what they are eating.
Coldiretti, Italy’s major agricultural lobby, refers to lab-grown meat as ‘Frankenstein’ meat
Coldiretti, Italy’s major agricultural lobby, refers to lab-grown meat as ‘Frankenstein’ meat. The organization stated on Thursday that the law indicates “a commitment to defend the Mediterranean diet.” Francesco Lollobrigida, Italy’s Agriculture Minister, stated that grown meat “interrupts the virtuous relationship between land, man, and work that has accompanied us and allowed us to maintain the land for millennia.”
The International Organization for the Protection of Animals, an Italian non-profit, however, criticizes the regulation as unnecessary. “This ban is completely useless today since cultured meat has not yet been approved for human consumption in Europe and therefore cannot be marketed.” According to AFP, the European Union considers lab-grown beef to be a “novel food,” which implies that any new product must be approved by the group. If the EU approves such farmed meat, Italy cannot prohibit it. Currently, the meat cannot be sold in the EU. Companies in the United States, on the other hand, have been raising funds to study the new science.
