Parents Imposing a vegan diet to children in Italy may risk Jail time.

Aug 10, 2016 | 8:24 AM EDT
Parents who insist on vegan diet for children may risk jail in Italy



By Philip Pullella | ROME
(Reuters) - If parliamentarian Elvira Savino has her way, Italian parents who insist on a vegan diet for their children will risk up to four years in jail.

Savino, from the conservative Forza Italia party, has put forward a law that would hold parents legally responsible for feeding their children on "a diet devoid of elements essential for healthy and balanced growth", according to its text.

"I have nothing against vegans or veganism as long as it is a free choice by adults," she told Reuters in a telephone interview on Wednesday, days after she presented the proposed law in the lower house Chamber of Deputies.

"I just find it absurd that some parents are allowed to impose their will on children in an almost fanatical, religious way, often without proper scientific knowledge or medical consultation," she said.

"Do-it-yourself on these matters terrorizes me."

Some pediatricians advise against feeding children on a vegan diet, which they say can lack sufficient nutrition.


Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, or poultry and vegans also do not eat animal products such as eggs and dairy foods.

The law proposes jail sentences of a year for raising a child on a vegan diet, up to four years if the child develops a permanent health problem and up to seven years if the child dies as a result.

It would apply to children under 16 and penalties would increase by a year if the child is under three.

Savino, 39, who has a seven-year-old son and who eats meat "but not too much", said she proposed the law after being shocked by several recent incidents in Italy.

Last month in the northern city of Milan, doctors determined that a one-year-old boy who was taken to a hospital had the weight of a three-month-old because of a vegan diet.

In 2015, an Italian court ordered a divorced mother to stop raising her 12-year-old son on a vegan diet after the boy's father filed a complaint that it was stunting his growth.

"If even only one child ends up in a hospital because of this behavior, I feel we have to protect them all," said Savino, noting that she believes pediatricians should be obliged to report vegan parents to authorities just as they would if they noticed signs of physical abuse on a child.

The draft will be discussed by parliamentary committees before it goes to the floor for debate. That is expected this year.

(Editing by Louise Ireland)

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Last month in the northern city of Milan, doctors determined that a one-year-old boy who was taken to a hospital had the weight of a three-month-old because of a vegan diet.

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Slighted said:

Last month in the northern city of Milan, doctors determined that a one-year-old boy who was taken to a hospital had the weight of a three-month-old because of a vegan diet.

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:x

But what if the parents are vegan themselves?

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WATER said:

 
I'll be raising my children vegan btw, if not, I'll be supplementing with stuff like super meat 

Definitely no milk/dairy though 



The future  

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AgentOrange said:

**** veganism

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AgentOrange said:

**** veganism :x

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FlyNY said:

Radical Vegans belong in jail
You can't deprive a child of meat. Children need meat to help them grow into mature adults. You can't expect for your child to grow into a healthy adult without a constant serving of meat and protein.

These damn radical vegans

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Turin's new Five Star Movement mayor, Chiara Appendino, presented her new council's five-year political programme on Tuesday, which included plans to reduce the amount of animal products eaten in the Piedmont capital.
It is the first time the promotion of a plant-based diet has been included among the political aims of a local government in Italy.

“The promotion of vegan and vegetarian diets is a fundamental act in safeguarding our environment, the health of our citizens and the welfare of our animals,” the programme stated.

The council says it will spend the next five years educating the city's children about the issues surrounding food in order to reduce the amount of animal products eaten by future generations.

“Leading medical, nutritional and political experts will help promote a culture of respect in our schools, teaching children how to eat well while protecting the earth and animal rights,” the programme continued.

But the plan has raised a few eyebrows in the city, where most restaurants still serve up traditional dishes made from the renowned local meats and cheeses that have been a staple for generations.

“Great foods like wild boar ragu and Chianina steak are already disappearing from the menu once famed for its meats, wines and cheeses,” Turin resident Elena Coda told The Local.

“At the same time there are more and more vegan and vegetarian eateries,” she said, adding that the city now boasts 30 vegetarian or vegan restaurants, the majority of which have opened in the last few years.

“I'm not sure if the trend will continue and expect there will be an inevitable backlash sooner or later.”

But the new council's environment assessor, Stefania Giannuzzi said the aim was not to damage local restaurants and businesses.

“We have total respect for our food heritage, our restaurants and nothing against the meat industry,” she told Corriere.

"I'm a vegetarian and have been for 20 years. But in reality, this programme isn't something I instigated – it's just an extension of schemes which have been in place for years.”

Elsewhere in Italy, parents have been criticized for raising their children vegan after two recent high-profile cases which saw toddlers being hospitalized due to malnourishment.

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Mark Antony said:

The hell? Were the kids suffering?

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WATER said:

Also speaking of Italy and veganism, I remembered reading this article a month back about a city in Italy trying to make the whole population vegan/vegetarian   



[QUOTE url="[URL]http://www.corriere.it/politica/16_luglio_19/giunta-appendino-promuove-dieta-vegetariana-veg-1617c3ee-4ddb-11e6-ab69-e82d92fc7c0a.shtml[/URL]"]

Turin's new Five Star Movement mayor, Chiara Appendino, presented her new council's five-year political programme on Tuesday, which included plans to reduce the amount of animal products eaten in the Piedmont capital.




It is the first time the promotion of a plant-based diet has been included among the political aims of a local government in Italy.



“The promotion of vegan and vegetarian diets is a fundamental act in safeguarding our environment, the health of our citizens and the welfare of our animals,” the programme stated.



The council says it will spend the next five years educating the city's children about the issues surrounding food in order to reduce the amount of animal products eaten by future generations.



“Leading medical, nutritional and political experts will help promote a culture of respect in our schools, teaching children how to eat well while protecting the earth and animal rights,” the programme continued.



But the plan has raised a few eyebrows in the city, where most restaurants still serve up traditional dishes made from the renowned local meats and cheeses that have been a staple for generations.



“Great foods like wild boar ragu and Chianina steak are already disappearing from the menu once famed for its meats, wines and cheeses,” Turin resident Elena Coda told The Local.



“At the same time there are more and more vegan and vegetarian eateries,” she said, adding that the city now boasts 30 vegetarian or vegan restaurants, the majority of which have opened in the last few years.



“I'm not sure if the trend will continue and expect there will be an inevitable backlash sooner or later.”



But the new council's environment assessor, Stefania Giannuzzi said the aim was not to damage local restaurants and businesses.



“We have total respect for our food heritage, our restaurants and nothing against the meat industry,” she told Corriere.



"I'm a vegetarian and have been for 20 years. But in reality, this programme isn't something I instigated – it's just an extension of schemes which have been in place for years.”



Elsewhere in Italy, parents have been criticized for raising their children vegan after two recent high-profile cases which saw toddlers being hospitalized due to malnourishment.

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WATER said:

you can get all the protein you need without a "constant serving of meat" 

when people hit me with the question "where do you get your protein from?" thinking meat is the only way   

And when I do see children eating meat, its usually in the form of hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and good old "pepperoni" pizza. That good old American diet of cholesterol and saturated fat. Then people wonder why childhood obesity and the number of children being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is skyrocketing. 

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shogun said:

This pepperoni slander needs to stop. Pepperoni pizza is damn good.

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