Italy’s misguided ban on synthetic meat

Italy has taken a perplexing step backwards with a recent ban on synthetic meat. Coldiretti, the largest organisation representing farmers in Italy, is behind the lobbying efforts to safeguard the interests of traditional meat producers.

The agricultural lobby’s campaign has been a success. The legislation prohibits the production and commercialisation of cultivated meat and imposes restrictions on plant-based meat alternatives.

With fines ranging from €10,000 to €60,000, this move appears less about protecting culinary tradition and more about economic interests and ideological dogma.

The arbitrary exclusion of key stakeholders, including the Good Food Institute Europe and the Italian Alliance for Complementary Proteins, from parliamentary hearings highlights the undemocratic nature of the legislative process. Their input was reduced to written submissions, likely ignored, stifling debate and undermining the democratic process.

Critics argue that this law is not only regressive and isolates the country in the global shift towards sustainable food sources, but also scientifically absurd. It is doomed to fail, burdening Italy with significant economic costs. By halting the development of cultivated meat, the country risks losing talented researchers and investments to more progressive nations.