The Italian government has voted to ban cultured meat being produced or sold in the country, which could complicate the regulatory environment surrounding cell-based food.
As other countries like the US, UK, Singapore and Israel embrace what’s hailed as a crucial solution to slaughter-free alternative proteins, Italian ministers have moved to prohibit the production, sale or import of cultivated meat or animal feed.
Cell-based is also proving to be a polarizing issue in Florida, US, with Republican Tyler Sirois proposing legislation that would make it a criminal offense to sell cultivated meat in the state from July 2024.
A few days ago, Sirosis declared that he wanted Florida to become the first state to ban cultured meat. He has the support of Wilton Simpson, the state’s agriculture commissioner.
Similar to the situation in Italy, the proposed legislation seeks to ban the production, sale, holding and distribution of cell-cultured meat within Florida and calls for criminal penalties on anyone violating these rules.
The proposed legislation will now go through due process in the state.
It directly contrasts the US government’s stance on cultured products and cellular agriculture in general.
