All-out war on synthetic food: forty organizations to protect health, the environment, consumers and businesses take the field in defense of the culture of quality food. The unprecedented and composite alliance decided a oppose the fashion of the artificial and synthetic by all means and on all terrains is composed of ACLI, AcliTerra, ADUSBEF, ANPIT, ASI, AssoBio, Centro Consumatori Italia, Cia, CNA, Città del Vino, Città dell'Olio, Codacons, CODICI, Consulta District of Food, ctg, COLDIRETTI Demeter, Ecofuturo, EWA, FEDERBIO, Federparchi, FIPE, QUALIVITA Foundation, UNA Foundation, UniVerde Foundation, GLOBE, GREENACCORD, GRE, Italia Nostra, Kyoto Club, LEGA CONSUMATORI, MASCI, MOVEMENT CONSUMATORI Naturasi, Salesians for social work, Slow food Italy, UNPLI, Wilderness.
The initiative was launched by the representatives of the various Organizations during a meeting in the Coldiretti Headquarters Hall and has as the first objective, the signing of a Manifesto to explain the reasons for the alliance and open a discussion with institutions, associations, the scientific world, companies and citizens for starting a battle – the one against synthetic and artificial food – which it is possible to win – the Organizations argue – even in a European projection, in the certainty of acting for the common good. An assumption of responsibility - conclude the Organizations - in the search for technical and value reasons to counter the real risks of desertification of the countryside, financial speculation and patent monopoly together with alarming concerns for the health of consumers.
First objective: the signing of a Manifesto against synthetic and artificial food
The initiative of the Italian organizations follows the position taken by "The World Farmers' Organization (WFO) which brings together farmers' associations and farmers' cooperatives on all continents, from Asia to Oceania, from Africa to America to Europe, which "rejects any attempt to replace food obtained through the work of farmers with laboratory products and in this way to amplify the problems of concentrations along the food chain, diminishing the work of farmers and pushing consumers towards a standardizing food model that does not value the tradition, diversity, richness, quality and specificities of each territory of the our planet".
"Concern" for test-tube foods was also expressed by the European Committee of the Regions with the plenary vote on an opinion on sustainable foodand with a specific amendment. An opinion consistent with the fact that since 1996 the European Union has banned the use of hormones in breeding and meat production, which is instead necessary for laboratory foods.
Identified 53 potential health hazards
From Italy, therefore, the opposition to cell-based foods (meat, fish and milk) as better defined according to the Report published by the FAO and the World Health Organization extends abroad as well, which - underlines Coldiretti - have identified as many as 53 potential health hazards, from allergies to cancer. To the concern for health is added that of the environment after the results of the research carried out by Derrick Risner and his colleagues at the University of California in Davis published on the website www.biorxiv.org have highlighted that - concludes Coldiretti - the global warming potential of cell-based meat defined in equivalents of carbon dioxide emitted for each kilogram produced is 4 to 25 times higher than that of traditional beef.
