Italy wants to ban laboratory meat

This follows “the principle of prudence,” said Health Minister Orazio Schillaci. In his words, there is “no scientific evidence” that the consumption of “synthetically produced foods has no harmful effects”.

Violations of the ban, which specifically targets the production of meat in the laboratory based on animal stem cells, are subject to fines of up to 60,000 euros. Parliament has yet to approve the law.

The Italian agricultural association Coldiretti demonstrated in front of the seat of government in Rome, demanding a “no to synthetic food”. As a European pioneer in food quality and safety, Italy has a duty to protect businesses and citizens. So far, no application has been made in the EU to produce or market such foods.

Meanwhile, scientists in the Netherlands presented a large piece of meat from the extinct woolly mammoth. Australian-based company Vow presented the cultured meat at the Science Museum in Amsterdam.

The researchers first identified DNA sequences from the mammoth, supplemented them with genes from the African elephant and then transplanted them into sheep cells. The company explained that the meat is not currently intended for eating – the mammoth’s protein, which is more than 4,000 years old, must first be tested for food suitability. (sda/afp)