A study commissioned by Austria’s Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry in the state of Carinthia (the country’s least densely populated state), has revealed that 90% of respondents are unwilling to eat cell-based meat regularly.

The results also showed that 72% of respondents expressed health risk concerns and 82% wanted to ban the technology.

The survey questioned over 800 people online or over the phone, and, according to Deputy Governor Martin Gruber, participants were informed neutrally about the production process before being questioned.

Siegfried Huber, president of the Carinthia Chamber of Agriculture, said: “A few large corporations want to overtake our small agricultural structures. Three-quarters of the respondents also see domestic agriculture threatened by lab meat.”

In April this year, the chamber launched the petition ‘Laboratory meat? NO, THANK YOU!’ in what it described as a bid to protect farmers, consumers and the environment.

The initiative, which received support, will be handed over to the next federal government in the coming months to promote a ban on cell-based meat, following Italy’s attempts to ban the technology. At this time, 12,000 signatures have been collected.

Ivo Rzegotta, responsible for Austria at the Good Food Institute Europe, commented: “Cultivated meat offers an additional option for climate and environmentally-conscious consumers. It is not intended to replace the cows on alpine pastures, but to offer an alternative to less sustainable forms of meat production, which also exist in Austria, and help satisfy growing global demand for meat."

He continued: "These initiatives against cultivated meat are based on inaccurate assumptions and are misleading for consumers and politicians. In order to realistically assess the potential for climate, environmental and health protection, we need to move away from an ideologically charged debate towards a constructive, evidence-based discussion.”

© Top image: Shiok Meats

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