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Italy moves to ban lab-grown meat to protect food heritage

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Italy moves to ban lab-grown meat to protect food heritage

#61

Post by fnmron »

9dev wrote: post #40
thanatropism wrote: post #7

Unpopular opinion: some controversial cultural heritages need protection. I single out tauromachy, which is incomprehensible to most, moreso the younger generations. The world is a tangle of Chesterton fences, and our righteous moral clariy is our own's worst enemy.

I wonder whether you’d say if tauromachy was about killing cute animals, or even humans. For the life of me, I cannot understand what is there to protect about killing other living beings for joy or taste.

We kill millions of babys for joy or taste

A bull per month in a cultural ceremony feels like the least of the problems

Re: Italy moves to ban lab-grown meat to protect food heritage

#62

Post by Digit-Al »

dotsam wrote: post #4

On the topic of food traditions in Italy: 'Everything I, an Italian, thought I knew about Italian food is wrong', in the FT recently - https://archive.is/4gwGh#selection-1454.0-1454.1

Interesting. Thanks. I think the following was particularly pertinent:

> Indeed it’s hard to imagine that people who survived the second world war eating chestnuts, as my grandfather did, would be concerned about using pork jowl instead of pork belly in a pasta recipe. Or as Grandi puts it, “Their ‘tradition’ was trying not to starve.”

I think it's wise to remember that for most of history the majority of people have been too poor to be picky.

Re: Italy moves to ban lab-grown meat to protect food heritage

#63

Post by 9dev »

nemo44x wrote: post #15
bl4ckm0r3 wrote: post #3

I am italian, not sure i agree with this. I would have rather allow it (even if I would have probably not bought lab grown meat) and be sure it's well communicated during the sale (either on the package or from the vendor in case it's a butcher shop). Especially because we can't ban Monsanto's GMOs and I don't see how this is worse...

I am not Italian but think it’s a step in the right direction, but overreaches. I think they should make it law that synthetic meat can’t be called “meat” and that insect ‘flour’ can’t be called “flour”. And should have to be prefaced with “unnatural food product” or similar on all sides of packaging.

This whole insect flour debate is so braindead. We have billions of people to feed. Dried and shredded insects provide a great protein yield, can be produced incredibly efficient, and aren’t as destructive to the planet as lifestock. Many cultures have been consuming insects for ages.

There is nothing unsafe, unnatural, or otherwise „bad“ about using insects for food - other than an embarrassing, unreflective revulsion.

Re: Italy moves to ban lab-grown meat to protect food heritage

#64

Post by nemo44x »

AlecSchueler wrote: post #27
nemo44x wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not Italian but think it’s a step in the right direction, but overreaches. I think they should make it law that synthetic meat can’t be called “meat” and that insect ‘flour’ can’t be called “flour”. And should have to be prefaced with “unnatural food product” or similar on all sides of packaging.

Could you explain your reasoning? The unnatural food product stickers sounds like a health warning but for what? I already buy stuff like oat milk and it never bothered me that it's not actually milk. Same with plant based butters etc

Well, it’s unnatural to begin with. Other good movements like “organic” worked hard for that label and the producers of those products work hard.

I don’t believe oat milk should be allowed to use the word “milk” and if it wants to then should be prefaced with words describing it as “imitation milk” or similar.

Re: Italy moves to ban lab-grown meat to protect food heritage

#65

Post by bovermyer »

pfdietz wrote: post #29
bovermyer wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, allowing Monsanto or other seed tyrants to operate with impunity is not indicative of protecting "food heritage." This is just another example of an old but still powerful industry attacking what it perceives as a threat. The same sort of thing happened to absinthe in France, and that campaign was so successful absinthe became taboo for over a century.

GMO banning is another example of protectionism masquerading as something else. The demonization of Monsanto is diagnostic of the derangement/dishonesty.

I'm not in favor of banning GMOs, incidentally. The part of the-company-formerly-known-as-Monsanto I take issue with is their predatory practices, like suing farmers for inadvertently cross-pollinating their crops from Monsanto-copyrighted seeds from a neighboring farmer's fields.

Re: Italy moves to ban lab-grown meat to protect food heritage

#67

Post by nemo44x »

9dev wrote: post #63
nemo44x wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not Italian but think it’s a step in the right direction, but overreaches. I think they should make it law that synthetic meat can’t be called “meat” and that insect ‘flour’ can’t be called “flour”. And should have to be prefaced with “unnatural food product” or similar on all sides of packaging.

This whole insect flour debate is so braindead. We have billions of people to feed. Dried and shredded insects provide a great protein yield, can be produced incredibly efficient, and aren’t as destructive to the planet as lifestock. Many cultures have been consuming insects for ages. There is nothing unsafe, unnatural, or otherwise „bad“ about using insects for food - other than an embarrassing, unreflective revulsi…

My culture doesn’t consume insects and we don’t intend to start.

Re: Italy moves to ban lab-grown meat to protect food heritage

#68

Post by lm28469 »

9dev wrote: post #46
lm28469 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't have to be "far right" or "nationalistic" to not want to destroy your economy

If your economy is entirely dependent on a doomed industry, maybe, instead of artificially keeping it alive, focus on modernising that economy instead?

Every industry is doomed when developing countries can do the same for half the price...

Which is exactly why Europe delocalised a lot of industries in the first place and is now mostly stuck with services, tourism and tech. And it's exactly what we should stop doing if we want to have anything of value left

I know it's hard to believe for a lot of people on HN but not every country wants to become yet another soulless cog of the globalized world

Re: Italy moves to ban lab-grown meat to protect food heritage

#69

Post by mantas »

pfdietz wrote: post #37
ReptileMan wrote: post #26

Good idea. Europe has enough fertile land to feed itself without GMO or lab grown stuff. No need to take long tail risks.

Ok, but then Europe should expect the rest of the world to neither conduct free trade with it, nor subsidize its defense. You want those benefits? You don't block out the products of our highly productive agriculture.

What's next, don't block your highly productive industry with CO2 import taxes?
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