Italian Politicians Want to Make Raising Vegan Kids a Crime

In a country where vegetables are often dressed with anchovies and tomato sauce may involve anywhere from one to three kinds of meat, being vegan would appear to be somewhat of a challenge.

Nonetheless, meat-free eating is on the rise in Italy—4.2 million Italians identify as vegetarians, according to a story published last year by the daily La Repubblica—and Turin’s new mayor, Chiara Appendino, promises to make the home of vitello tonnato a “vegetarian city.”

But a conservative backlash is simmering, and if the center-right Forza Italia party has its way, raising future generations of Italians on a vegan diet could become a crime.

A proposed piece of legislation dubbed the “Savino law”—for Forza Italia MP Elvira Savino—proposes a one-year prison sentence for parents who raise their children on a vegan diet, and stricter sentences if the kids are younger than three. The law seeks to “stigmatize the reckless and dangerous eating behavior imposed by parents” on their children, Savino told La Repubblica.

The proposed measure follows a number of cases in which children suffered from health problems allegedly caused by their parents feeding them a vegan or vegetarian diet. In one instance, a one-year-old boy weighing 11 pounds was taken from his parents and had to undergo heart surgery related to his severe malnourishment.

It’s the worst stories that rise to the top. While people who follow a strict vegan diet need to account for the lack of nutrients such as calcium and vitamins B12 and D, there are also health benefits to avoiding all animal products. According to a 2009 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “vegans are thinner, have lower serum cholesterol and blood pressure, and enjoy a lower risk of [cardiovascular disease].”

Even if prison time is a reactionary response to parents responsibly feeding their children a healthy meatless diet, the Mediterranean diet that has deep roots in Italy is by no means a poor model to uphold as a national, mildly nationalist standard. Rich in vegetables, whole grains, and olive oil and light in red meat, the Mediterranean diet has been shown in studies to have a host of health benefits—including increased longevity.