Italy's Ban on Lab-Grown Meat to Preserve Food Heritage

Italy's right-wing government has proposed a bill that would ban laboratory-produced meat and other synthetic foods, citing the importance of Italy's food tradition and health protection. Breaking the ban would attract fines of up to €60,000. The move has been praised by farmers' lobbies but criticized by some animal welfare groups who see lab-made meat as a solution to environmental and food safety issues. The proposed bill seeks to ban synthetic foods produced from animal cells without killing the animal, and would apply to lab-produced fish and synthetic milk too.