Cultured meat, because there is talk of a withdrawal of the bill on synthetic food by the government

In recent days there has been talk of a possible withdrawal of the bill on synthetic food by the government, but Minister Lollobrigida has denied it.

• The hypothesis is circulating that the government could withdraw the bill that bans the production and marketing of cultured meat and so-called synthetic food in Italy.
• Minister Lollobrigida denies this and says he wants to move forward with the legislative process.
• In any case, if the European Union authorized these foods, the bill could not stop the free circulation of the products.

The Italian government is doing an about-face on bill on so-called synthetic food?According to some rumours, the Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida would be ready to withdraw the legislative project which imposes a ban on the production and marketing of foods produced in laboratories, primarily the cultured meat, in our country.This choice would be motivated by the fear of a rejection of the bill by theEuropean Union.

The clue that suggests the withdrawal of the bill on synthetic food

The news arose from Italy's withdrawal of the Tris notification for this bill:it is a procedure through which Member States must notify the European Commission legislative projects relating to products, which are then analyzed in light of the legislation of theEuropean Union.Community law could reject the bill for one main reason:at the moment in which theEfsa, the European Food Safety Authority, gave the green light to synthetic food - currently not authorized within the EU - the Italian provision could not prohibit its marketing according to the principle of free movement of goods between member states.

Minister Lollobrigida denies:“Let's move on”

For his part, on social media, Minister Lollobrigida has denied wanting to withdraw the bill which will shortly be called upon to discuss Room.Lollobrigida also stated that the withdrawal of the Tris notification is only a formal matter that has been carried out other times.“Not only am I not withdrawing the bill – concluded the minister – but I am more convinced than ever that I must implement the indications of the Municipalities, the Regions (all) and the millions of Italian citizens who have explicitly asked us to protect our health and our economy.On this battle of civilization, as on all the commitments undertaken by the Government, we move forward.Without any step backwards."

The process of the bill

The bill on synthetic food was presented in the Council of Ministers last year March 28 by Lollobrigida himself as "the first provision of this nature at an international level aimed at protecting health, our production, our environment and a way of life that connects food production in the relationship between man, work, territory and livestock".The news had gone around the world and rekindled the cultured meat debate, among those who consider it “part of the solution” and who one “false solution”.In July the bill had received a first approval by the Senate;now, the indiscretion about a possible backtracking, even if denied, gives hope animal rights associations and supporters of the cause.