“Without mandatory clinical and pre-clinical studies it will be very complicated to understand whether cell-based foods produced in laboratories are safe or not for citizens' health.
This was said by Antonio Gasbarrini, Scientific Director of the Gemelli IRCCS University Polyclinic Foundation and President of the Aletheia Foundation Scientific Committee on the sidelines of the event held at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry and entitled "Food made in the laboratory. The risks to health and the environment", in which a study by the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Piacenza campus, on foods produced in laboratories was presented.
The study by the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the Catholic University effectively undermines the promises on hi-tech milk and meat. The scientific data speaks clearly: synthetic alternatives face microscopic yields, exorbitant costs and an ecological footprint which, within the four walls of an energy-intensive laboratory, exceeds that of real animal husbandry.
The Catholic University's research analyzed the two main innovations in the sector: precision fermentation (used to replicate milk proteins) and meat grown in vitro. The scientific results dismantle the rhetoric of the convenience of these technologies: if biological feasibility in the laboratory has been achieved, safety on an industrial scale and economic and environmental sustainability are completely lacking. Scientific data shows that precision fermentation has low yields and high energy consumption. Tests conducted on the yeast Komagataella phaffii to isolate beta-casein recorded the production of only 6 milligrams of protein per liter of culture. The investigation highlights resistance to antibiotics on the part of the construct and recalls how the production of a single protein does not allow the organoleptic and nutritional structure of milk to be reproduced, as well as a non-competitive environmental impact compared to traditional farms due to the operational consumption of the laboratories. At the same time, the study examined meat grown in vitro, finding a productivity gap estimated at 40 to 1 compared to theoretical models, with a strong waste of resources and the use of culture medium over thirty times higher and the absence of structural components such as connective tissue and fat in the final product. Ultimately, producing milk or meat proteins in a bioreactor is biologically possible, but the complexity, nutritional value and efficiency of the traditional agri-food chain and certified cheeses remain irreplaceable.
The meeting saw the participation of representatives of the sector and institutions. The Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, commented on the results that emerged: "Italy was a pioneer in banning synthetic foods to protect public health and the work of our farmers. The Catholic data proves us right: the laboratories consume more than traditional livestock farming and offer lower quality foods. We will continue to defend the Italian agri-food model, which guarantees real quality and true sustainability."
"We certainly know that they are ultra-formulated products par excellence and there are still many unknowns that accompany them", adds Gasbarrini. "To protect public health, true food therapy remains natural food and a varied and balanced diet. The study by the Catholic University, Piacenza campus, confirms that we are very far from traditional products which, taken in a balanced way, represent fundamental nutritional sources for the health of citizens".
