Consumers, farmers and Salesians the unprecedented alliance against cultivated meat

«An unprecedented, broad and composite alliance is born to claim the defense of the culture of quality food and oppose the artificial and synthetic one». This is how the promoters of the initiative describe the pact that will involve agricultural organizations, environmental and consumer protection associations but also Salesians, ACLI and companies in the organic sector to develop a manifesto to explain the reasons for no and open discussions with institutions , associations, the scientific world, businesses and citizens. From their point of view, in fact, “an assumption of responsibility in the search for technical reasons and values ​​to counter the real risks of desertification of the countryside, financial speculation and patent monopoly together with alarming concerns for the health of consumers” is necessary.

The pact was signed in recent days at the headquarters of Coldiretti, the first organization that launched a popular mobilization against cultivated meat, by 39 acronyms including organizations from the Catholic world such as Acli, AcliTerra, Salesiani per il sociale; consumer associations (Adusbef, Italy Consumer Center, Consumers’ League and Movement, Codacons) and the Cities of Oil and Wine, Coldiretti and Cia, Italia Nostra, Slow Food Italy and Naturasi. And this morning in New York Coldiretti participated in a protest that took place in the historic farmer market Grown NYC in Union Square organized together with the World Farmers Markets Coalition against the green light for the marketing of synthetic chicken arrived by the American authorities. President Ettore Prandini and the leader of the coalition, Richard McCarthy, signed an agreement – ​​the Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Francesco Lollobrigida was also present – ​​to work together to counter synthetic food. «Farmers’ markets all over the world are therefore forming a common front – underlines Coldiretti – against a phenomenon, that of laboratory food, supported by aggressive campaigns promoted by large multinationals». And the two associations explain that they have “adopted the doubts expressed by FAO and WHO who have identified as many as 53 potential health hazards, from allergies to tumors but also environmental concerns”. According to Coldiretti “the results of the research carried out by Derrick Risner and his colleagues at the University of California at Davis have shown that the global warming potential of synthetic meat defined in equivalent of carbon dioxide emitted for each kilogram produced is from 4 to 25 times higher than that of traditional beef”.