There’s a huge push for sustainability in farming around the world, with plant and even insect- based diets being touted as the answer to our climate woes.
If we can wean ourselves off meat en masse, so the theory goes, we will cut out some of the most resource-intensive and pollutive elements of factory farming and have a significant impact on climate change. As part of this push, consumers have been introduced to the idea of lab-grown meat.
Once simply a strange and dystopian concept, fake meat is now available on supermarket shelves everywhere and is being advertised on TV, online and on billboards alongside our familiar food products. It’s likely that the meat-eaters among us will always prefer the real thing, while vegetarians who miss their meat hit will be the majority of people choosing the synthetic versions. If you’re seeking meat, nothing but the real thing will satisfy.
The Government of Italy is in agreement, it seems, and has taken the bold step of backing a bill to ban fake meat from the country altogether. It’s not that they want to destroy the planet, but rather they argue that preserving their food heritage is a worthwhile price to pay for the pushback against factory-created meat alternatives.
Food is a huge part of Italy’s cultural heritage, with Italian dishes incredibly popular all over the world. Farmers and other agricultural organisations have fought against the fake meat trend with a petition of half a million signatures – including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – calling for a ban on synthetic food and the protection of natural produce. If the bill goes into effect, anyone producing and selling fake food could be fined up to €60,000.
This follows a call for the banning of flour made from insects, which could otherwise have made its way into pizza and pasta production.