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What did the government decide on synthetic meat?

1 year ago babelfish

What did the government decide on synthetic meat?

On the one hand, satisfied farmers and ranchers, on the other, angry environmentalists and animal rights activists, with the bill against synthetic meat approved by the government at the centre. Here's what it predicts

Yesterday's Council of Ministers gave the green light not only to measures against high bills and the new procurement code but also to the bill that prohibits the production and placing on the market of the so-called synthetic meat, whose correct name it would be “cultured meat”.

The bill was presented on the proposal of the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (Masaf), Francesco Lollobrigida, and the Minister of Health, Orazio Schillaci.

But what does it predict?

WHAT IS FORBIDDEN…

The bill on synthetic meat that the government approved yesterday includes provisions on the subject of a ban on the production and placing on the market of synthetic food and feed in general.

"The prohibition to use, in the preparation of food or drink, sell, hold for sale, import, produce for export, administer or in any case distribute for food consumption, food or feed consisting of, isolated or produced from cell cultures or of tissues deriving from vertebrate animals,” reports Masaf.

…AND WHAT CANNOT BE FORBIDDEN

However, Il Sole24Ore writes that, in the event of EU approval for cultivated foods, these bans will not apply to products legally manufactured or marketed in another Member State and, by virtue of the EU rules on the free movement of goods and services, Italy could not oppose their distribution.

WHAT IS THE RISK

Anyone who fails to comply with the provisions of the bill will not only see the product confiscated but will also be "subject to a fine ranging from 10 thousand up to a maximum of 10% of the turnover achieved in the last financial year closed prior to the verification of the violation" .

Violators are also prohibited from accessing contributions, loans and subsidies granted or disbursed by the State, by other public bodies or by the EU for the performance of business activities, for a minimum period of one year and up to a maximum of three, as well as the closure of the manufacturing plant, for the same period.

The Ministry itself will take care of the monitoring.

WHY A DDL ON SYNTHETIC MEAT

Currently, the European Union has not yet authorized the production and marketing of cultured meat, but has hinted that it may soon. Which is why legions of Italian breeders and trade associations have already taken to the streets and the government has deemed it necessary to get their hands on it.

“We look to the protection of our community. As a Government we have addressed the issue of quality that laboratory products do not guarantee. We wanted to protect our culture and our tradition, including food and wine", Lollobrigida said at the press conference, recalling that "Italy is the first nation to say 'no' to synthetic food and synthetic meat, and it does so with a formal and official deed”.

The purpose of the provision, explained Masaf, "is to ensure the highest level of protection of citizens' health and to preserve the agri-food heritage, as a set of products that express the process of socio-economic and cultural evolution of Italy, of strategic importance on the territory for the national interest".

WHO IS IN FAVOR OF THE BAN…

He welcomes the decision of the Coldiretti government, which has collected half a million signatures to fight the advent of cultivated meat, including that of the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.

“The truth is that it is not meat but a synthetic and engineered product, which does not save the environment because it consumes more water and energy than many traditional farms, it does not help health because there is no guarantee that the chemicals used are safe for food consumption and, moreover, it is not accessible to everyone since it is in the hands of large multinationals”, commented Ettore Prandini, president of the association.

…AND WHO NOT

On the other hand, environmentalists and animal rights activists have a completely different opinion. The International Organization for the Protection of Animals (Oipa), for example, wanted to clarify that "synthetic meat" is a "deliberately erroneous definition, capable of arousing unjustified revulsion" since "in reality it is cultured meat deriving from cells, a food product that is made using animal cells”. "It is – continues Oipa – a production that offers a solution to various problems related to the production of meat: a production that does not harm animal welfare, environmental sustainability and food safety".

Also perplexed are journalists such as Enrico Pagliarini of Radio 24 :

WHAT THE NUMBERS AND FACTS SAY

The fact that cultured meat "does not save the environment", however, is not what is claimed by several studies, including one published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems which states that this, compared to farmed meat, "has a impact of 80-98% less on water, soil consumption and emissions and about 50% on electricity”. Furthermore, “100 grams of vegetable proteins 'emit' 1.9 kg of CO2e (CO2 equivalent, a unit of measurement used to be able to compare and add up the contributions of various greenhouse gases which have a negative effect on the climate). 100 of cultured meat, 5.5 CO2e”, against 25.6 per 100 grams of farmed beef.

But that cultured meat isn't forthcoming is still a reality. At the moment, in fact, there are only two restaurants in the world that offer it, one in Singapore and the other in Israel, and the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (Fda) for the famous "laboratory-created chicken fillets" is only a first step but not a final approval.

This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/cosa-ha-deciso-il-governo-sulla-carne-sintetica/ on Wed, 29 Mar 2023 08:40:36 +0000.