Today is meat day. It is a good opportunity to announce that within the framework of accountability we will promote a law that prohibits the importation and manufacture of laboratory meat in our country.
Uruguay always natural and healthy.?? pic.twitter.com/dECAhHTsR5—Sebastian Da Silva (@camboue) May 29, 2023
The senator of the National Party, Sebastián Da Silva, is promoting the inclusion of an article in the Rendición de Cuentas, which will be submitted for analysis in the coming weeks in Parliament. Said article will seek to prohibit the manufacture and import of artificial or laboratory meat. According to his words (and without presenting scientific evidence to support them), this type of product “poisons” those who consume it.
For the right-wing legislator, “Uruguay, as a cattle-raising country, has to be a pioneer in the fight against this type of artificial, laboratory protein, and must defend real natural food.”
He also put forward as a reason that “existing research shows that these experiments are not safe for health”, but rather “they poison people”. According to him, there are “various reports where foods that threaten health may appear”, but he did not cite any.
Although livestock is one of the main contributors of greenhouse gases, Da Silva pointed his finger at meat production laboratories, asserting that they “increase global warming.”
When announcing the bill through his Twitter account, Da Silva made a small mistake: although he spoke of the Uruguayan meatused a photograph of a Mexican-style meat dish. You can see in the image a small bowl with guacamole, another with tomato sauce and corn tortillas, on a mexican style rug.
Are lab-made meats safe? This says science
The search for sustainable and ethical alternatives in food production has led to the development of laboratory meats, also known as cultured meats or in vitro meats. These products are created from animal cells grown in controlled environments, without the need to breed and slaughter animals. As this technology advances, the question arises about the safety of these meats for human consumption.
Numerous studies and scientific papers have addressed this crucial question. A study published in the journal «Food Control» in 2022, it evaluated the microbiological safety of laboratory meat, concluding that its production process under sterile conditions significantly reduces the presence of bacteria and pathogens compared to conventional meat.
Furthermore, research conducted by Maastricht University in the Netherlands showed that lab meats have a similar nutritional profile to conventional meatwith adequate levels of proteins, vitamins and essential minerals for a balanced diet.
As for long-term safety, a comprehensive analysis published in “Frontiers in Nutrition» in 2023 examined the composition and presence of possible contaminants in laboratory meats, concluding that no significant differences were found compared to conventional meat and that there was no evidence of risks associated with human consumption.
Although more research is still required, current studies provide strong scientific evidence that lab-grown meats are safe for human consumption. These innovations have the potential to revolutionize the food industry by offering a more sustainable, ethical and safe alternative to meet the growing demand for animal protein.
