{"id":1406,"date":"2023-04-05T20:53:49","date_gmt":"2023-04-05T20:53:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.futureating.it\/2023\/04\/05\/scientists-protest-italys-ban-on-cultivated-meat\/"},"modified":"2025-03-06T07:05:03","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T07:05:03","slug":"scientists-protest-italys-ban-on-cultivated-meat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.futureating.it\/en\/2023\/04\/05\/scientists-protest-italys-ban-on-cultivated-meat\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists protest Italy\u2019s ban on cultivated meat"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"l-section wpb_row us_custom_c70c97eb height_medium\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols vc_row via_grid cols_2-1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_1 mobiles-cols_1 valign_middle type_default stacking_default\" style=\"--gap:4vw;\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container us_custom_6676a6e7\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><h1 class=\"w-post-elm post_title us_custom_8cd71a5c entry-title color_link_inherit\">Scientists protest Italy\u2019s ban on cultivated meat<\/h1><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><time class=\"w-post-elm post_date us_custom_4e7f1fd1 has_text_color entry-date published\" datetime=\"2023-04-05T20:53:49+00:00\" itemprop=\"datePublished\">5th April 2023<\/time><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><div class=\"w-btn-wrapper align_none\"><a class=\"w-btn us-btn-style_3 us_custom_510ba617 icon_atleft\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d43978-023-00050-7\"><i class=\"fas fa-link\"><\/i><span class=\"w-btn-label\">Link<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"l-section wpb_row height_small\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols vc_row via_grid cols_1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_inherit mobiles-cols_1 valign_top type_default stacking_default\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_text_column\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h4>Researchers fear government\u2019s proposal to prohibit the production and sale of lab-grown meat substitutes will stifle innovation in the food sector.<\/h4>\n<p>The Italian government has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.governo.it\/it\/articolo\/comunicato-stampa-del-consiglio-dei-ministri-n-26\/22212\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.governo.it\/it\/articolo\/comunicato-stampa-del-consiglio-dei-ministri-n-26\/22212\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">approved<\/a> a draft bill banning the production and commercialization of cultivated meat for human and animal consumption. The bill sets out to preserve the Italian food and culinary heritage, to protect human health and the national agri-food industry, and follows a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coldiretti.it\/economia\/una-firma-contro-il-cibo-sintetico-scatta-la-mobilitazione-coldiretti\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.coldiretti.it\/economia\/una-firma-contro-il-cibo-sintetico-scatta-la-mobilitazione-coldiretti\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">petition<\/a> launched by the national farmers\u2019 association Coldiretti against \u2018synthetic foods\u2019 that collected nearly half a million signatures.<\/p>\n<p>Cultivated meat is obtained by taking fat and muscle cells from live animals and making them grow and differentiate in a nutrient broth in a bioreactor. Researchers then use 3D scaffolds or bioprinting techniques to approximate the texture of various meat cuts. The first cultivated meat product, a hamburger, was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/science\/2013\/aug\/05\/first-hamburger-lab-grown-meat-press-conference\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/science\/2013\/aug\/05\/first-hamburger-lab-grown-meat-press-conference\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">presented<\/a> in 2013 by researchers in the Netherlands. Since then, cultivated meat has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/RegData\/etudes\/ATAG\/2018\/614538\/EPRS_ATA(2018)614538_EN.pdf\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/RegData\/etudes\/ATAG\/2018\/614538\/EPRS_ATA(2018)614538_EN.pdf\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">regarded<\/a> as a promising tool to reduce the environmental impacts of conventional meat production and improve food security and safety.<\/p>\n<p>In 2020 Singapore was the first country to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2022\/nov\/06\/all-sizzle-no-steak-how-singapore-became-the-centre-of-the-plant-based-meat-industry\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2022\/nov\/06\/all-sizzle-no-steak-how-singapore-became-the-centre-of-the-plant-based-meat-industry\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">authorize<\/a> the commercialisation of cultivated chicken nuggets, while the Food and Drug Administration in the USA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/food\/cfsan-constituent-updates\/fda-completes-first-pre-market-consultation-human-food-made-using-animal-cell-culture-technology\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/food\/cfsan-constituent-updates\/fda-completes-first-pre-market-consultation-human-food-made-using-animal-cell-culture-technology\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">pre-approved<\/a> two similar products. However, cultivated meat products are not yet authorized in the European Union. EFSA, the EU agency for food safety headquartered in Parma, has not yet received any applications for such products. Because of EU free-trade regulations, the Italian bill could not prevent the import of cultivated meat from elsewhere in Europe, should it be approved by EFSA.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists say the bill, which now needs to be ratified by the Parliament, could have a negative impact on research and innovation in Italy. There is currently only one Italian start-up in the field, Bruno Cell, founded by an entrepreneur to finance the activities of two laboratories on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cibio.unitn.it\/220\/dulbecco-telethon-laboratory-of-stem-cells-and-regenerative-medicine\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.cibio.unitn.it\/220\/dulbecco-telethon-laboratory-of-stem-cells-and-regenerative-medicine\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">regenerative medicine for mucles <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cibio.unitn.it\/224\/laboratory-of-stem-cell-biology\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.cibio.unitn.it\/224\/laboratory-of-stem-cell-biology\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">stem cell biology<\/a> at the University of Trento, led by Stefano Biressi and Luciano Conti respectively. Biressi says the bill will discourage private investors, damaging especially small and medium-sized enterprises in Italy. He doubts, for example, that the founder of Bruno Cell would have backed the project had such a regulation been in place at the time.<\/p>\n<p>Alessandro Bertero, a biotechnologist at the University of Turin, shares Biressi\u2019s concerns. Bertero obtained his PhD at the University of Cambridge, and after a postdoc in the US, he came back to Italy and set up his own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.berterolab.com\/\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.berterolab.com\/\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">lab<\/a> to study heart tissue development starting from induced pluripotent stem cells. \u201cPrivate investments in cultivated meat startups are slowing down, particularly in the US,\u201d Bertero says. \u201cThe first proof-of-principle projects made clear that several breakthroughs are still needed to scale up the production so that cultivated meat could become a credible alternative to conventional meat.\u201d Bertero thinks that only governments can take the risk to support such technological advancements. \u201cWe will not succeed just by gradually adapting the techniques borrowed from regenerative medicine, we need to reinvent some processes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The European Union is devoting new funds to cultivated meat, through dedicated <a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/funding-tenders\/opportunities\/portal\/screen\/opportunities\/topic-details\/horizon-cl6-2023-farm2fork-01-13%3BcallCode=null%3BfreeTextSearchKeyword=food%3BmatchWholeText=true%3BtypeCodes=1,2,8,0%3BstatusCodes=31094501,31094502%3BprogrammePeriod=null%3BprogramCcm2Id=43108390%3BprogramDivisionCode=null%3BfocusAreaCode=null%3BdestinationGroup=null%3BmissionGroup=null%3BgeographicalZonesCode=null%3BprogrammeDivisionProspect=null%3BstartDateLte=null%3BstartDateGte=null%3BcrossCuttingPriorityCode=null%3BcpvCode=null%3BperformanceOfDelivery=null%3BsortQuery=sortStatus%3BorderBy=asc%3BonlyTenders=false%3BtopicListKey=topicSearchTablePageState\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/funding-tenders\/opportunities\/portal\/screen\/opportunities\/topic-details\/horizon-cl6-2023-farm2fork-01-13%3BcallCode=null%3BfreeTextSearchKeyword=food%3BmatchWholeText=true%3BtypeCodes=1,2,8,0%3BstatusCodes=31094501,31094502%3BprogrammePeriod=null%3BprogramCcm2Id=43108390%3BprogramDivisionCode=null%3BfocusAreaCode=null%3BdestinationGroup=null%3BmissionGroup=null%3BgeographicalZonesCode=null%3BprogrammeDivisionProspect=null%3BstartDateLte=null%3BstartDateGte=null%3BcrossCuttingPriorityCode=null%3BcpvCode=null%3BperformanceOfDelivery=null%3BsortQuery=sortStatus%3BorderBy=asc%3BonlyTenders=false%3BtopicListKey=topicSearchTablePageState\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">calls<\/a> in his new research and innovation framework program Horizon Europe. \u201cCultivated meat is part of the EU\u2019s Farm to Fork strategy and of its Green Deal, the plan to make the Union climate neutral by 2050,\u201d explains Chiara Nitride, a researcher in food processing technologies at the University Federico II in Naples. Nitride is part of the recently launched EU project GIANT LEAPS, which focuses on alternative proteins. \u201cMy group will contribute by developing new in-vitro techniques to evaluate novel foods\u2019 safety and nutritional values\u201d, Nitride says, with the goal of helping companies and regulatory agencies generate and assess the data that will be required in order to approve new foods.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom a nutritional point of view, cultivated meat could be more suitable to substitute conventional meat in our diets than plant-based alternatives\u201d, Nitride says. It could also be safer than its conventional counterpart, she says, reducing the need for antibiotics, although a thorough safety assessment will be needed. Nitride is hopeful that Italian researchers will be able to continue their activities thanks to European funds.<\/p>\n<p>Pierdomenico Perata, a professor of plant biology at Scuola Superiore Sant\u2019Anna in Pisa, is less optimistic. He says the new bill is synonymous with the EU\u2019s ban, 20 years ago, on GMO cultivation, when Italy also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/nbt0403-346a\" data-track=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/nbt0403-346a\" data-track-category=\"body text link\">prohibited<\/a> open field trials of such crops. \u201cResearch on GMOs doesn\u2019t exist anymore in Italy, while we still import million tonnes of genetically modified soy every year to produce animal feed\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>According to Perata the ban on cultivated meat could be even more disruptive because it hits a less mature research field. \u201cWe are abandoning not only innovation, but also the possibility of having the tools to make decisions [on these products] when the time comes,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Researchers fear government\u2019s proposal to prohibit the production and sale of lab-grown meat substitutes will stifle innovation in the food sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-comunication"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.futureating.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.futureating.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.futureating.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futureating.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futureating.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1406"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.futureating.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1408,"href":"https:\/\/www.futureating.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1406\/revisions\/1408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.futureating.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futureating.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futureating.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}