Lab-grown Bolognese… Meat cultivated from animal cells won’t be topping pizzas in Italy anytime soon. It became the first country to ban the production, sale, and import of lab-grown meat, in a move meant to keep Italy “safe from the social and economic risks of synthetic food,” its agricultural minister said. The ban passed overwhelmingly in Italy’s Parliament, but not everyone supports it.
Critics of the ban argue lab-grown meat is natural, because it’s cultivated from animal cells that aren’t genetically modified. Animal-welfare groups and environmentalists tend to side with lab-grown, because no slaughter is involved, though its climate impact is debated.
Only two countries have approved cultivated meat for human consumption (Singapore and the US), making Italy’s ban more symbolic than substantive.
From tofurkey to tofauxkey… Just two companies — Upside Foods and Eat Just — have the US’s approval to sell lab-grown meat. Since getting the regulatory green light in June, they've started selling limited quantities in two fine-dining restaurants. Despite investors pouring $3B into cultured-meat cos, their ability to scale to your local Whole Foods is in question. Bill Gates-backed Upside may be struggling to mass-produce the whole cuts it’s known for (think: cutlets, not nuggets), Wired reported. In the meantime, Eat Just is being sued for $100M+ by suppliers that say it failed to pay on time.
Lab-grown’s biggest test is appetite… Italy’s ban highlights a core issue for cultivated meat: its ick factor. Even if Upside and Eat Just can solve their scaling issues, it’s unclear whether people will want to buy their products. The US’s approval was seen as a milestone for public policy and opinion. If the EU also approves the techy food, Italy might have to say ciao to its ban… but it could be a long time before people accept lab-grown bacon in their carbonara.