ECR Group members were relieved to see the adoption of their amendment, which expresses concern about the introduction of lab-grown foods on European markets. Members were voting an opinion on the sustainability of food systems, which will serve to feed into the European Commission's legislative proposal foreseen for November 2023. 

Taking the floor on behalf of the group was Matteo Bianchi who stated that lab-grown food will "not guarantee quality, well-being and the protection of culture and traditions and would have far-reaching economic and social impacts and jeopardise food sovereignty and security". Mr Bianchi called for the issue of food security to be looked at from the broader picture of not only supply but also access to food: "lab grown food remains costly, which is a significant barrier that would need to be overcome".

Acknowledging the fact that food systems undoubtedly require transformation, the ECR member urged for challenges such as food security and environmental objectives to be addressed "via new agricultural practices and not lab-grown food". The introduction of lab grown foods on European markets would have "detrimental economic and social consequences in particular, on livestock farms", he highlighted. 

Recently, the Italian government has made Italy the first country in the world to ban all types of synthetic food, prohibiting the production of food in laboratories. Mr Bianchi said he hopes that other countries will follow suit. 

Another important aspect of the sustainability of food systems, which was raised by Mr Lorezno Galligani during the plenary, is the Irish initiative to introduce new health warning labels on wine bottles, which "will mainly impact medium-sized producers, who would have greater difficulty in complying with regulations", he said.

Italy has more than 4,000 years of winemaking experience and a near-perfect climate for producing winemaking grapes: "winemaking is embedded in our culture and is essential aspect of many Italians' livelihood. It is estimated that the Italian wine industry provides more than 1.3 million jobs", said Mr Galligani.

The ECR member concluded by warning that such measures could even undermine the smooth functioning of the EU's single market as "unilaterally introduced technical and regulatory measures could be contrary to European law and lead to the creation of trade barriers".