In Italy and Uruguay, legislative initiatives have been introduced that challenge the sale and distribution of lab-grown meat.
In Italy, the government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, has expressed reservations about such artificially produced foods, seeing it as a threat to the country’s agri-food heritage.
Italy’s Agriculture Minister, Francesco Lollobrigida, pointed out concerns over these lab-produced foods’ quality, cultural, and traditional implications.
Uruguay’s stance is led by Senator Sebastián da Silva, who introduced a bill in July.
According to local news outlet El Observador, the bill seeks to prohibit importing, producing, and selling foods containing artificially cultured animal cells within the country.
The legislation emphasizes that names and labels traditionally associated with animal products should remain exclusive to them, prohibiting any misleading advertising or representation.
In Brazil, the concept of lab-grown meat is under investigation, with the state’s poultry and pork research unit exploring the production of lab-based poultry proteins through tissue recreation from animal cells.