Europe is dividing on the issue of meats developed by culturing cells in fermentation tanks.
While some countries, such as Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom, are funding research into the technology, a coalition of 12 other countries came out with a declaration this week opposing the technology and products.
These countries, led by Italy, France and Austria, have asked the European Union to reconsider the bloc's regulatory approval process for novel foods, and to add additional investigations into cultivated meat before the EU Food Safety Authority makes a decision about the products.
“These practices represent a threat to primary farm-based approaches and genuine food production methods that are at the very heart of the European farming model,” the delegates wrote in a letter to the Council of Ministers.
They said that cultivated meat is a potential threat to the economy and public health.
They want the EU to launch a broad public consultation period and to conduct an impact assessment.
