Miami Seaquarium, where she is still currently housed, has claimed to be fully onboard with the release, despite refusing such a move for years. 

In a statement on December 13 2022, Eduardo Albor, CEO of the Dolphin Company, which owns the sea life attraction, said that he and his colleagues are all “100 percent committed” to returning her to her home.

Tokitae (also known by her stage name Lolita) cannot yet be transported to her release location of Puget Sound, off the northwestern coast of Washington, as she remains under medical care. It has been confirmed that she is suffering from a severe respiratory infection. This had led concerned activists to hope that she recovers in time for a safe release into her native waters so that she can live out her days in peace and freedom.

“We’re glad to hear that the Dolphin Company is still committed to moving Lolita after decades of being trapped in the smallest orca tank in the world, and suffering from a respiratory infection for which she remains medicated, and hope to see that happen as soon as possible for her sake,” Jared Goodman, vice president of PETA told the Miami New Times.

The campaign to free Lolita

Activists have been campaigning for Tokitae to be returned to the Pacific north-west to live out her final days for some time.

In a report published by the Guardian last August, it was even suggested that she could be reunited with her family.

Tokitae’s mother is still alive and thought to be in her 90s. Reports have claimed that she can still be seen leading a pod of killer whales in the Salish Sea in search of salmon. 

Tokitae has performed in shows for 48 years, doing tricks like jumping, flipping, and lifting trainers in the air. 

The campaign to release her has received worldwide support, including from activists, Indigenous groups, and philanthropists.

“We owe all these captive animals an opportunity to live in an environment as close to their natural environment as we can possibly provide,” said Charles Vinick, of the Whale Sanctuary Project, which helps free captive whales around the world.

Vinick also noted that whales like Tokitae have earned their human owners millions of dollars, adding: “We owe them a retirement program, a pension … giving them back something like this is the least we can do.”

What could happen to Tokitae?

A decision to release Tokitae could raise questions about her ability to survive in the wild after so long spent in captivity. 

Howard Garrett, a whale researcher and activist who started working on plans for her release in 1995, thinks it’s possible she could be returned to the Pacific. 

According to the report, he said that she could be safely transported on the 10-hour journey from Miami to somewhere in the San Juan Islands in a comfortable fleece-lined stretcher with cool water. 

If it does go ahead, her release would be a rare case, as few whales have returned from the wild to captivity. But it is possible.

For example, Keiko – who played Willy in the Free Willy movies – was rehabilitated in a sea pen in Oregon in the 90s before living five more years in the wild in Iceland. He was much younger than Tokitae, however, at 22 years old. 

Tokitae’s future

We don’t know whether Tokitae will be set free, but there is currently an operational plan to bring her back to a secure and protected area in the Salish Sea, where she could receive ongoing human care while being in her native waters.

If this were successful, she would likely require a great deal of space and food for the rest of her life. 

It is also possible that she could end up at a 100-acre netted enclosure run by the Whale Sanctuary Project in Nova Scotia.

Concerns have been raised about her health, however, as well as the possibility that she could spread infections to other southern resident killer whales.

This article was updated on January 13, 2023, to include the statement from Eduardo Albor.

The post Lolita The Orca ‘Could Finally Be Freed’ After Half A Century In Captivity appeared first on Plant Based News.

Precision fermentation (PF) is a form of brewing, which sees microflora like yeast or bacteria be genetically engineered to make proteins or fats (rather than beer or bread). This, campaigners say, means that we can create the same ingredients found in animal meat, without the animals. 

The Reboot Food campaign comes from RePlanet, and is being supported by environmental campaigner George Monbiot. 

You can watch Monbiot explain more about PF in the clip below:

“Animal agriculture is humanity’s single most destructive industry and now threatens the collapse of our global ecosystems,” Joel Scott-Halkes, campaigns director at RePlanet, tells Plant Based News (PBN).

“Sadly, shifts to plant-based diets simply aren’t happening fast enough to prevent this from happening, so we need something else to more rapidly shift people away from eating animals.”

Why should we move toward precision fermentation?

One of the key benefits of PF, activists say, is the fact that it uses significantly less land than animal farming. 

We kill around 80 billion land animals for food each year, and rearing them requires vast amounts of space. Raising livestock uses around 26 percent of the world’s ice-free land. What’s more, 33 percent of croplands are used to grow feed for these animals. This requirement for land means animal agriculture is a key driver of deforestation. It’s been responsible for around 91 percent of Amazon destruction. 

Campaigners say PF could allow us to create enough protein to feed the entire world using an area of land smaller than Greater London. Scott-Halkes says that this would mean we could rewild at least three-quarters of the world’s farmland. 

“If we do rewild this land, we can reverse the sixth mass extinction of species and draw down enough carbon to not just stop, but reverse climate change,” he adds.

Is precision fermentation viable?

While this technology may sound like a futuristic and unrealistic dream, many parts of the world are already using it. Unlike cell-based meat, which is relatively new and struggling to get regulatory approval in most countries, PF is already here. 

It’s used to produce 99 percent of the world’s insulin (in the 1970s, 50,000 pigs would have to be slaughtered to make just one kilogram of it). Rennet, citric acid, vanilla flavoring, and strawberry flavoring all come from PF. It also creates an ingredient called “heme,” used to make the Impossible Burger. 

Scott-Halkes says that food innovators have now unlocked the codes to making “biologically identical proteins and fats to those found in milk, fish, and meat.” 

Animal agriculture’s impact on the planet

Livestock farming has been shown time and time again to be one of the leading causes of the climate crisis. As well as land use, it’s directly responsible for at least 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is largely due to the methane emitted by cows and other ruminant animals. 

It’s also been identified as a “primary driver” of biodiversity loss. A UN report from last year said that a move away from meat was essential to address this. 

Despite this, there has been a general reluctance from world leaders to accept that adopting more plant-based eating is necessary. PF has been put forward as an alternative to addressing the planetary costs of animal farming. 

“If precision fermentation replaced all animal agriculture we could see most of the planet rewilded, our climate cooled, and abundant food provided to all,” says Scott-Halkes. “Where today there is food insecurity and famine, with precision fermentation there could be abundant, cheap and complete nutrition. Crucially however, we’ll only see these benefits if governments act now to embrace and develop this technology.”

Find out more about precision fermentation on Reboot Food’s website

The post What Is Precision Fermentation, And Could It Replace Animal Farming? appeared first on Plant Based News.

Apparently, after being an advocate of plant-based eating for years, he saw his health decline and his kidneys suffer.

In an interview with GQ Magazine in July, Grylls said: “I was a massive advocate of the vegan lifestyle for years, and wrote a book on it, but my health tanked on it. When I got COVID a couple of years ago, I doubled down on what I thought was healthy—raw juice, vegetables—and got mega-sore kidneys, almost kidney stones.

“The more research I’ve done, I’ve noticed raw vegetables are really not good for you. So I’ve started incorporating quality grass-fed steak and liver. My lunch is meat, eggs and dairy, a lot of butter, and fruit. I have liver probably every other day. I started to get strong again.”

A recent TV interview with Grylls led many papers to resurface the interview, sparking headlines that veganism “negatively” impacted his health.

So, does a vegan diet cause kidney stones? And is it preferable to include meat and dairy products for kidney health and overall health?

Let’s look at the facts.

Was Bear Grylls vegan? 

When Grylls talks about the vegan book he wrote, it seems he is referring to Fuel for Life, which he co-wrote with a nutritionist. The book advocates a dairy, wheat, and sugar-free diet, but also includes recipes for meat. In the book, Grylls stated that while adopting a more plant-based diet, he still ate what he called “honest meat” (unprocessed or factory-farmed). So, was Grylls ever in fact vegan? 

Given his statements, it’s likely Grylls was including plenty of animal protein in his supposed plant-based diet, which may have contributed to his “mega-sore kidneys.” However, it’s also possible other factors were behind the issue (we’ll get into this soon).

It’s not the first time a vegan diet and kidney stones has made headlines. Back in 2020, actor Liam Hemsworth blamed his plant-based diet for the condition, citing oxalates as the cause.

What are oxalates?

Oxalates are compounds in plants whose function is to bind excess calcium that the plant takes up in water through its root system. Oxalates accumulate in leaves, fruits, and seeds. When plants shed these, they get rid of excess calcium with the oxalate. However, this means that oxalates are present in some parts of plants that humans consume, such as green leafy vegetables. 

In humans, oxalates have no beneficial effect; they pass through the liver and kidneys and are excreted in the urine. When oxalates combine with calcium in the urine, they form calcium oxalate crystals. The crystals may become insoluble stones depending on other factors, such as how much citrate is present.  Doctors call these renal calculi or kidney stones. 

Only 50 percent of the normal daily urinary oxalate excretion is from food; the rest is due to the body’s own production as part of metabolism. 

Foods high in oxalates include: 

• Spinach
• Green cabbage
• Beets
• Nuts
• Tea
• Rhubarb
• Chocolate
• Whole grain cereals

Research suggests getting enough calcium in the diet protects against kidney stones. However, calcium supplements may not have the same effect or may increase oxalate formation. 

Meat and kidney health

A 2020 review stated that current scientific evidence agrees on the harmful effects of high meat and animal protein diets for kidney stones and the protective effect of fruits, vegetables, and vegetarian diets. The review suggests that animal protein — such as eggs, as well as poultry, fish and other meats — together with a low intake of alkaline plant foods, upsets mineral balance and is detrimental to kidney stone formers. The review also stresses the importance of adequate calcium and fluid intake.

The National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) recommends limiting animal protein for all types of kidney stones, including calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, and uric acid stones.

Furthermore, the National Kidney Foundation advises that eating whole grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables is one of the most important ways to keep kidneys healthy. Additionally, they state that a plant-based diet may benefit someone with early kidney disease or prevent it from occurring in the first place.

So it’s clear that scientific evidence and expert advice does not agree with Grylls and Hemsworth. In fact, following a meat-heavy diet that Grylls promotes may be a very real risk for kidney stone formation. 

Are some people more prone to kidney stones?

If diet was a factor in Grylls’ and Hemsworth’s kidney troubles, they may have been consuming too many oxalate-containing foods, such as spinach. (Hemsworth told Men’s Health that he was having five handfuls of spinach each morning in his smoothie.)

Some individuals are more susceptible to kidney stones, with studies suggesting there are environmental, dietary, hormonal, and genetic components. To date, scientists have identified 30 inherited genes that increase the risk of kidney stones. 

Therefore, limiting high oxalate foods may be a sensible approach for people susceptible to kidney stones, or those who’ve had them previously.  

The National Kidney Foundation advises people who form calcium oxalate stones to moderate their intake of foods such as spinach, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and rhubarb. However, it notes that cutting out oxalate foods from the diet alone is not a smart approach from an overall health perspective. Instead, they suggest eating calcium-rich foods with oxalate foods, making them more likely to bind together in the intestine before the kidneys process them. 

Removing oxalates from food

Additionally, people can reduce oxalates with cooking and preparation methods. For example, a 2020 review notes that boiling spinach reduces oxalates by 87 percent, and steaming it reduces them by 42 percent. Other vegan staples such as beans and chickpeas lose significant amounts of oxalates during canning, soaking, or boiling.

The review also explains that gut health and the microbiome may also play a part in oxalate absorption and potential kidney stones. It concludes that although some people seem more prone to kidney stones, for the rest of the population, eating calcium and potassium with oxalate foods and using cooking methods to destroy oxalates significantly minimizes health risks. Furthermore, oxalate foods possess many protective, beneficial compounds that may outweigh any possible adverse effects of oxalate.

Summary

Oxalates are natural compounds found in some foods that can be reduced by soaking, canning, or cooking. Eating too many high oxalate foods may contribute to kidney stones, particularly if someone is susceptible to them because of inherited genes or other factors.

Eliminating oxalate foods from the diet is not necessary for most people and risks missing out on the beneficial nutrients that foods such as green leafy vegetables, grains, and beans contain. Instead, ensuring that the diet is sufficient in calcium is a sensible approach, as this may help the body to process oxalates safely.

Experts recommend plant-based dietary approaches for kidney health and advise against consuming too much animal protein. Therefore, a vegan diet is safe for the kidneys and may benefit overall health. 

The post Bear Grylls Quit Veganism ‘For His Health’ – Can Plant-Based Diets Really Cause Kidney Stones? appeared first on Plant Based News.

The pro-vegan commercial will be shown at cinemas across England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in the coming weeks. This includes Vue, Odeon, and Cineworld, the largest cinema chains in the UK.

The two-minute animation follows the life of a baby turkey called Toby, who escapes from a slaughterhouse truck after being pushed to freedom by his doomed mother. 

Working with creative agency Dream Farm, PETA says that it wanted to make viewers question the status quo. To do this it shone a light on the “nine to 11 million turkeys slaughtered for Christmas dinners in the UK every year.”

Toby the turkey’s story

Having been thrown from the slaughterhouse truck, a visibly scared Toby is picked up by human hands, his fate unknown. However, he is adopted by a family who love and cherish him. 

The days go by and Toby grows, until Christmas arrives. This is when he sees an advert for the same turkey farm he came from. Making the connection that he might be on the chopping block, and remembering his last image of his mother, Toby panics. He starts to run around the room before being caught by one of the family.

Given PETA’s propensity for provocative (and sometimes graphic) campaigns, viewers would be forgiven for assuming that the worst is about to happen. Instead, PETA shows Toby eating a vegan Christmas dinner alongside his plant-based family. This was followed a poignant message:

“Peace begins at home. Have a vegan Christmas,” the advert concludes.

An ‘out-of-touch tradition’

According to PETA, the slaughter and consumption of around 11 million birds each Christmas is an outdated enterprise, propped up by a desire to uphold tradition. 

The animal rights organization claims there is a contradiction at the heart of the holidays, with humans speaking of peace and goodwill to others while creating demand for mass animal killings.

“Killing animals is at odds with the festive message of love, hope, and joy,” it says. 

“Peace starts on your plate. The easy choice to skip eating animals spares them unfathomable suffering, and you can still have all the classic Christmas foods you love – just without the cruelty.”

This suffering includes being reared in cramped and disease-ridden poultry sheds until around the age of 12 to 26 weeks old. The birds are then killed for meat. Turkeys are usually hung upside down on a conveyor and dragged through electrified water before having their throats slit. Due to ineffective stunning, many are still conscious when they bleed out.

Conversely, in nature, turkeys are social animals who enjoy close relationships with their families. They can live for up to 10 years and are deemed highly intelligent, as well as playful. They also have unique personalities. Rescue birds have frequently been seen enjoying hugs and strokes from their carers, with whom they have bonded.

The post UK’s Largest Cinema Chains To Screen PETA’s First Vegan Christmas Advert appeared first on Plant Based News.

Animal welfare charity Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) commissioned YouGov to conduct research into public opinion surrounding existing farming systems. Data revealed that 69 percent of UK adults see factory farming as prioritizing profits over tackling the climate emergency. It also found that 81 percent stated that profits were placed ahead of care for livestock and other animals.

The data was collected to support CIWF’s End of the Line for Factory Farming campaign, which launched on November 12. It has already garnered celebrity support from Jane Goodall and Emmy Award-winning actor Brian Cox, amongst others.

“Tackling climate change is one of the most important undertakings of our time – but to turn the tide on this crisis, we need to address its root causes – and animal factory farming is one of them,” Cox said in a statement. 

“Far beyond the suffering it inflicts on animals, intensive farming is threatening the very future of our planet.”

Britain’s distaste for factory farming

In addition to deprioritizing environmental impact and animal welfare implications, factory farming was considered at odds with consumer wellbeing. Two-thirds (67 percent) of those polled stated that they think factory farming puts profits before human health. This could be referring to zoonotic diseases such as avian flu, superbugs in pork, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our research shows that the British public aren’t convinced by industry propaganda that factory farming is ‘necessary to feed the world’,” Dr. Nick Palmer, head of Compassion in World Farming, said in a statement. “Big meat companies prop up a highly profitable system without accounting for the climate, health and animal welfare impacts they cause.”

As part of its research, YouGov surveyed participants from a total of 13 countries. Despite its traditionally meat-heavy cuisine, France showed similar levels of awareness to the UK. Three-quarters (75 percent) of participants agreed that factory farming disregards the environment in favor of profit. What’s more, 80 percent felt animal wellbeing was neglected as well.

Animal welfare concerns flying under the radar

Participants appeared to be concerned about factory farming’s impact on animal welfare. However, research conducted at the start of the year identified a significant gap in consumer knowledge. Vegan chicken brand VFC commissioned a survey of 5,204 people. It demonstrated that the majority have limited, if any, knowledge of how factory farmed chicken is produced.

Less than 15 percent of those polled knew that nearly all chickens in the UK are factory farmed. Furthermore, many believed them to be slaughtered between three and six months old. In fact, most are killed at around six weeks old.

After being shown images from a typical chicken farm, just 16 percent of people were willing to eat meat produced there. This tied in with around 80 percent stating it is important to know where food comes from.

Debunking the ‘eat local’ myth

Despite the YouGov findings, the UK population remains largely in the dark about the environmental impact of animal agriculture as a whole. 

Climate and food experts, including the UK government’s appointed food tsar Henry Dimbleby, have called for a drastic reduction in meat and dairy consumption to stave off the climate crisis. However, UK consumers think locally produced products are the answer. 

In a recent survey, again conducted by YouGov, it was revealed that 41 percent of participants believed eating local meat and dairy was the most effective way to reduce animal agriculture emissions. However, transport accounts for a relatively small (10-20 percent) proportion of animal farming’s emissions.

Animal agriculture – including rearing animals for meat and dairy – is responsible for at least 14.5 percent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. It is also a major driver of deforestation, further exacerbating the climate crisis. This is particularly true in the Amazon rainforest, one of the most valuable natural carbon sequestering sites in the world.

The post Most Brits Believe Factory Farming Prioritizes Money Over Animal Welfare And The Planet appeared first on Plant Based News.

The British Poultry Council has described the costs to the industry as “potentially enormous.” Richard Griffiths, its chief executive, confirmed that 600,000 out of around 1.3 million free range birds have died. 

Griffiths spoke to MPs at the UK parliamentary committee on the environment, food, and rural affairs. He said that around 36 percent of poultry farms in the UK were covered by a form of control, regardless of whether they’ve been affected. 

Also at the committee was turkey hatchery owner Paul Kelly, who said that there will be a “big, big shortage of British free range turkeys on the shelves this year.”

As reported by the Evening Standard, he added: “The challenge for a lot of the smaller seasonal producers that produce Christmas poultry is they have their Christmas flock on their farm and when the turkeys are infected they all die within four days.

“To give you an example, we had one farmer with 9,500 [birds]. The first infection was on Thursday evening, 20 mortality, and by Monday lunchtime they were all dead.”

The ‘worst bird flu outbreak of all time’

The UK is currently experiencing what’s been dubbed the worst outbreak of avian flu ever. While the disease usually dies down in the summer months, it continued this year. Experts have warned that it will likely get worse this winter.

Around 10 million turkeys are killed each year for Christmas, but an estimated one million of these have died or been culled.

The disease is having a serious effect on other farmed poultry, including chickens. In total, it’s thought that more than 5.5 million birds have died in the UK since October of last year. 

Wild birds have also been impacted by the spread. Last month, it was reported that a number of swans were found dead in a river in Suffolk. It is alleged that they died of the illness. 

A growing threat

It’s not just the UK that’s experiencing unprecedented levels of bird flu. The United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary, South Korea, Poland, the Netherlands, and Mexico are all seeing similar outbreaks. 

This week, it was reported that avian flu has led to the deaths of a record-breaking 50.4 million birds in the US alone. Due to the rise in intensive farming, some birds are being housed with over a million others, leading to a rapid spread of the disease. 

While much of the public and UK media is focused on the potential shortage of “Christmas turkeys,” there are more serious concerns being brought about by this outbreak. 

Bird flu has been identified as a pandemic risk. While the current virus doesn’t easily spread in humans, scientists have warned that it could mutate. 

“Influenza A viruses circulating among poultry have the potential to recombine with human influenza A viruses and become more transmissible among humans,” said a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report earlier this year. 

“If HPAI Asian H5N1 viruses gain the ability for efficient and sustained transmission among humans, an influenza pandemic could result, with potentially high rates of illness and death worldwide.”

The post Half Of The UK’s ‘Free Range’ Turkeys Have Been Culled Or Died From Bird Flu appeared first on Plant Based News.

King Charles’ household wrote a letter to animal rights organization PETA, confirming that there is a ban on the “food” across Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Sandringham, Balmoral, and all other royal locations. 

Foie gras is pâté made from the liver of a goose or duck. It’s long been controversial, due to its grisly – and very well-publicized – production method. Birds are force-fed using a process called “gavage.” This sees workers shove a tube down their throat twice a day and pour grain and fat into their stomachs. This enlarges their liver, giving foie gras its famous appearance and taste. 

There is no excuse for anyone to eat foie gras. And, there’s no doubt that King Charles’ move to ban it should be celebrated. His decision was reportedly made due to the fact that he, like most of the public, accepts the cruelty inherent in this abomination of an industry. 

But it’s disappointing that he hasn’t extended this acceptance to other animal products, many of which he’s actively endorsed. He is a patron of the Speciality Cheesemakers Association, and has been open about the fact that he eats meat and counts eggs among his favorite foods. So why does he recognize that geese suffer, but not the animals exploited for the food on his plate? 

King Charles should look closer to home

It’s very easy for King Charles to ban foie gras. It’s a foreign import, meaning banning it isn’t an attack on the British farming he’s linked to. Production of it has been illegal in the UK since 2006. There are no foie gras farms here, and it’s extremely unlikely there ever will be any. 

The UK currently imports around 200 tonnes of foie gras annually. But there have been repeated calls to ban it entirely. This media has this year been rife with criticisms of the government’s u-turn on its promise to do so, and an Animal Equality petition to stamp down on it currently has over 275,000 signatures. 

This outrage directed at foie gras is reflective of a country that has a tendency to criticize animal cruelty in other lands while ignoring instances in its own. We see it with the Yulin dog meat festival, we see it with fur farming, and we see it with foie gras. 

The UK loves to tell itself it has the best welfare in the world. The Conservative government even publicly endorsed this line of thought last year. This attitude has led many people to think foreign foie gras is an anomalously cruel food here, while British animal products – whose cruelty is considerably less well-publicized – get a free pass. 

An easy target

King Charles’ decision to ban foie gras was very likely made – at least partly – in reflection of this public opinion. 

It’s not surprising that the public is happy to slam foie gras. As well as being imported, it’s niche, expensive, and the vast majority have never – and would never – come across it. It’s less easy to criticize chicken, sausages, and cheese, which are almost always made from animals who suffered horrific lives and deaths, but are for most people an integral part of their lives.

But doesn’t King Charles only eat from the “best” farms? While we don’t know exactly what brands he buys, there is very likely some truth to this. He has supported small farms, and endorsed organic produce. He has also been vocal in his distaste of factory farming, critiquing its “mechanistic thinking” in 2010.

According to reports, King Charles’ daily diet is meat, dairy, and egg-heavy (he apparently eats a boiled egg with every meal). Clarence House confirmed on Instagram in 2020 that his favorite food is “cheesy baked eggs.” The King, who was then the Prince of Wales, encouraged his followers to support British cheese makers and make the same recipe. The post even described our nation’s cheese as “one of the most wonderful joys in life.”

The reality of British farming

Even at the best possible farms, there is nothing wonderful or joyful about the cheese industry. Dairy cows have been selectively bred to produce more milk than they naturally would. This means they often suffer from mastitis and spend their lives in pain.

Cows will be forcibly impregnated once a year, and each time have their baby taken away hours after birth. The calf will be put in solitary confinement and fed on a milk replacer, and they will never see each other again. If the calf is female, she will suffer the same fate as her mother. If he is male, he will be shot or sold to the veal industry. Dairy cows also end up at the slaughterhouse, where they are stunned – often improperly – and have their throats cut. 

In the egg industry, male chicks are routinely gassed to death because they’re surplus to requirements. Modern egg-laying hens have been selectively bred to produce around 300 eggs a year, as opposed to the 12 they naturally would. This takes a huge toll on their bodies. And they will often suffer from osteoporosis and broken bones as a result. They also end up at the slaughterhouse. The majority will be gassed to death, while the rest will be stunned and have their throats cut. Improper stunning is rife within the industry, meaning many are fully conscious when they are plunged into defeathering scalding tanks. They therefore drown in extremely hot water. 

It is arguable, of course, that the foie gras industry is “worse” than the dairy and egg industries. Foie gras production may seem more shocking and violent to some – but whether or not one is “crueler” than the other is not the conversation we should be having. We should be talking about the fact that they are all horrific, all unacceptable, and all equally deserving of being banned. 

King Charles has set a wonderful example by banning foie gras, and it’s hopeful that it will lead to further crackdowns on this horrific industry. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that one of the most recognizable figures in the world continues to eat, publicly endorse, and actively encourage his fans to buy other cruel animal products. None of this should be eclipsed by a PR-friendly crackdown on just one. If King Charles really wants to fight against cruel foods, he should look at those on his plate. 

The post King Charles Banning Foie Gras Should Be Celebrated – But Is It Really Enough? appeared first on Plant Based News.

Almost 30,000 people, across 31 countries, provided data to research firm GlobeScan. Surveys were conducted in partnership with non-profit EAT, which advocates for a sustainable food system.

The latter’s Grains of Truth 2022 report, which publishes world views on healthy and equitable food options, documented the findings.

Consumer attitudes towards meat

Forty-two percent of those surveyed stated that “most people will definitely or probably” be eating plant-based food instead of animal meat in the next 10 years. Respondents living in Africa and Asia were most likely to say the same, along with younger individuals.

The new report also highlights a rise in the number of people adopting vegetarian or vegan diets themselves.

In 2019, 17 percent of people polled said they eat “vegetarian/vegan food” most or all of the time. In the 2022 report, this had risen to 22 percent.

“The fact that so many people around the world are becoming more interested in eating healthy and sustainable food is an encouraging sign,” EAT founder Dr. Gunhild Stordalen said in a statement. 

“A few years ago it would be unthinkable that 42 percent of people globally would believe plant-based food will replace meat inside a decade. But the public is starting to understand the escalating climate and nature crises and the dangers it brings to their everyday lives as it intertwines with the pandemic, the war against Ukraine, and the accelerating cost of living crisis.”

Indeed, more than half (51 percent) of those surveyed stated that they are concerned about food security. Food shortages, as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing war against Ukraine, were named a “serious concern” by 60 percent of participants.

Further, a total of 92 percent of respondents said that their regular food bill was higher than before.

Still, making environmentally conscious food choices was important to a majority of consumers. Of those polled, 80 percent claimed that buying sustainable and responsible food is a priority to them. Meanwhile, 64 percent stated they are happy to pay more for such items, even during the cost of living crisis.

Growing interest in plant-based eating

The Grains of Truth 2022 report highlights an uptick in meat-free curiosity across all age groups. Gen Z (12 to 26 years old) and Millennials (aged 26-41) are leading the charge, with 40 and 43 percent respectively stating interest in plant-based eating.

However, Gen X (aged 42 to 57) and Baby Boomers (58 to 76 years old) are not lagging too far behind. 

Thirty-seven percent of the Gen X group said they are keen to try plant-based foods. More than a quarter (28 percent) of “Boomers” stated that they are very interested in plant-based diets.

The new report aligns with similar research into the public’s attitude towards meat. A Good Food Institute-commissioned survey suggested that half of those in Western Europe have reduced their meat intake in the last five years.

Ditch meat for climate health, experts say

Consumer openness to plant-based eating comes at a pertinent time. 

Many climate scientists maintain that plant-based diets are a valuable tool against the worsening climate crisis. This is due, in part, to the vast amount of greenhouse gases generated as a result of animal agriculture – at least 14.5 percent of the world’s total emissions.

Deforestation also remains a key issue. One of the world’s largest sequestering sites, the Amazon rainforest, has been so intensively felled to support animal farms that it now emits more carbon than it absorbs for the first time.

The post 42% Of Global Consumers Believe Plant-Based Food Will Replace Meat Within A Decade appeared first on Plant Based News.

The UK prime minister, who took on the role in October of this year, is said to have made the decision to improve his green credentials.

The Guardian reports that Vadher’s social media bio stated that she is a vegan with a “strong desire to smash the jargon and simplify politics and current affairs.” It appears, however, that Vadher has since changed her bio to remove details about her veganism.

Vadher, who is a former special advisor, will reportedly take on the role next year. She began her political career in 2011 as a parliamentary assistant to Edward Garnier, who was then a Conservative MP. He now sits in the House of Lords. Vadher subsequently worked in regional politics, before working on the NHS test-and-trace system during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

10 Downing Street has not commented on the report. And, the Guardian stated that Vadher has not yet signed a contract. 

Rishi Sunak’s COP27 controversy

This appointment comes soon after Sunak was criticized for yo-yoing over his decision to attend the UN climate summit COP27. The annual conference took place in Egypt earlier this month. 

The prime minister initially stated that he wasn’t planning to go, despite the fact that the summit sees world leaders gather to discuss action plans to tackle the climate crisis. 

After a great deal of backlash from the public, Sunak announced that he had changed his mind. 

A vegan future?

While we don’t know what the appointment of Vadher means for the future of UK green policy, it will likely be welcomed by many environmentalists. 

Animal agriculture is responsible for at least 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. It’s also a leading cause of deforestation and biodiversity loss. 

Despite this, there has been a tendency for world leaders and the general public to leave it out of the climate conversation. This year’s COP once again sparked controversy for serving beef on its menus, and livestock farming was barely mentioned throughout. 

Before becoming prime minister, Sunak himself told Sky News that he “wasn’t telling people to eat less meat.” He made the comments while standing in a meat market. He was said to have been responding to claims by the government’s chief scientific advisor – Patrick Vallance – that eating less meat is “part of the solution” to tackling the climate emergency.

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The Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act will, if passed into law, require farms to submit to stringent new rules surrounding disaster mitigation and treatment of animals.

Vegan Senator Cory Booker introduced the act, which targets inhumane food production processes. Particularly, factory farms that rely on regulatory loopholes to push products through production lines more quickly, and with maximized profits in mind.

The act stands to end self-inspection programs in slaughterhouses. It also calls for higher welfare for livestock being transported over long periods of time.

In a bid to lessen cruelty at the point of slaughter, the act calls for improved equipment as well as an increase in inspectors visiting smaller factory farms. Traditionally, such locations have flown under the radar.

Mass animal slaughter in US farms

If legalized, the act will force industrial farming operations to register with the United States Department of Agriculture. In addition, they will have to submit detailed emergency plans to avoid inhumane mass slaughter of animals in the face of future emergencies. These will include pandemics and natural disasters.

A fee will also be payable, to build a “High-Risk AFO Disaster Mitigation Fund.” This will facilitate humane “depopulation” techniques, when essential.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, millions of animals were killed due to slaughterhouses being closed. This was referred to as a “depopulation effort.” Many fell victim to barbaric executions – like being suffocated with a layer of foam – because they could no longer be processed properly. 

Exact figures remain unclear, due to production companies being under no obligation to release them. Nor was there any reporting of the conditions under which their animals were destroyed.

Senator Cory Booker takes on factory farming

The Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act is another attempt by New Jersey Democrat Booker to improve the US food system.

Booker, who maintains that factory farming should be banned, links the industry to the spread of zoonotic diseases and serious threats to human health.

“We’ve seen multiple recent crises that have shined a light on the threat that corporate meat producers and their web of factory farms represent to workers, animals, the environment, and rural communities,” Booker said in a statement.

When disasters, including avian flu outbreaks, pandemics, and extreme weather conditions strike, industrial farming operations are impacted. However, they are also propped up by the US government. A prominent subsidizer of the meat sector, the government has continued to put measures in place to secure the future of industrial-scale meat production in the US. 

However, Booker and supporters of the new act want this subsidizing to stop.

“It’s time we stop allowing multibillion-dollar corporations to externalize the cost of their high-risk operations. The Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act shifts the burden to where it belongs: the backs of Big Agribusiness,” Craig Watts, field team operations director of the Socially Responsible Agriculture Project said in a statement.

More than 60 organizations support the act, including prominent animal rights campaign groups. The Humane League, Humane Society of the United States, Compassion in World Farming, and Animal Equality are all named.

Factory farming as a public health threat

Research indicates many people do not understand the role of intensive animal agriculture in the spread of diseases. This is despite scientific evidence that details how cramped factory farms can create breeding grounds for deadly virus strains. Still, consumers tend to assume governmental failures or the wild animal trade to be more at fault. 

Last year, non-profit organization Farm Sanctuary asked President Joe Biden to phase out factory farming in favor of safer alternatives. In a letter that detailed how slaughterhouses are known to be hotspots for disease transmission, the group implored the president to consider plant-based alternatives.

Biden failed to comment on the request. However, he recently included cultivated meat in a new executive order. This potentially paves the way for an environmentally superior and less cruel alternative to factory-farmed meat.

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The study, which comes from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) and the Changing Markets Foundation, also reported that these companies produce more emissions than the countries of Russia, Canada, and Australia.

If these 15 companies were a country, the report said, it would be the 10th largest greenhouse gas emitting country on earth. Together, they are said to produce more emissions than oil companies like BP and Shell.

“That just blew my mind,” Shefali Sharma, director of the IATP’s European office, told the Guardian. “We can’t continue to have this handful of companies controlling this many animals.”

Researchers said that a lack of transparency from these companies makes it difficult to measure emissions. Results are therefore an estimate based on available data of farming practices and milk production. 

Livestock and methane

A report published last year found that livestock – particularly cows – were responsible for around a third of human-caused methane emissions. 

Cows, and some other animals like goats and sheep, produce methane when they burp. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas; it’s 80 times more warming than CO2 in its first 20 years in the atmosphere. It also, however, has a much shorter half life – meaning cutting it would slow warming more quickly, giving us more time to address carbon. According to the UN, cutting methane is the “strongest lever” we have to slow global heating.

The world resists calls to crack down on farming

Many scientists have noted that a move towards a more plant-heavy diet is an essential response to the climate crisis. 

A University of Oxford study published in 2018 found that a 90 percent reduction in beef consumption was needed to avoid climate breakdown. In April 2022, a UN report also stated that the world must eat less meat. 

Despite this, many world leaders, along with the general public, have been reluctant to accept that our diets are unsustainable.

This year’s annual UN climate conference – COP27 – once again drew controversy for serving beef. The decision was blasted by The Vegan Society, which called it “disappointing.” 

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I just got back from COP27. I went there to represent my plant-based meat brand Heura, and to make sure that we were part of different discussions and panels to assure that the food system – and the need to move to a just and sustainable one – was a central part of the debate. 

It was an intense experience. When I arrived, I could not believe that the whole event smelled like beef. All restaurants were serving barbecues inside the conference, and very few vegan options were being cooked and served. But this wasn’t the most surprising fact.

Unfortunately, there was something that was even beyond that.

Just after my arrival, I met this young activist. We started to talk, and she told me something that shocked me. “We are scared to share our thoughts and protest at this event,” she told me.

And I thought, how is this possible? How, at a climate emergency summit organized by the United Nations, are human rights not guaranteed? 

The climate emergency is a humanitarian crisis

I said it in the panels, I say it here, and I will continue saying it. The climate crisis is a humanitarian crisis. This is not a division, this is not two different topics. 

It is obvious that the activists at COP27, COP28, and COP29 shouldn’t be scared of protesting and sharing their opinions. Human rights activists should not be imprisoned, which is something that is happening now, and has happened in the past. There were very few protests because people felt threatened.

The LGBTQ+ plus community should not feel scared of just existing while there. And women should not feel misogyny or fear during the event. COP is a place where all the institutions, all the NGOs, companies, and everyone else comes together with the activists to push the solution for something that concerns us all in this space. 

The least we should expect is that the United Nations and the governments where the event is held work on guaranteeing this. Because we need these basic rights before we can work on the crisis.

Throughout the whole week I was there, I heard that so many activists – young, older, from different countries – were frightened. And one sentence that I listened to most was: “I’ll share my thoughts when I go back to my own country,” or “if you want to talk with other activists while here download this app that is not being tracked”.

For the next COPs, wherever they are held, the United Nations must guarantee not just these human rights during the event, but in the future as well.

Human rights in Egypt

In Egypt, the right to freedom of expression has been historically repressed.

According to Amnesty International, authorities continue to clamp down on critical voices, both offline and online. Peaceful protestors have also been arbitrarily detained.

Women also face discrimination in law and practice. Female social media influencers have been prosecuted for how they acted, dressed, and earned money on social media apps.

Same-sex relationships aren’t explicitly banned in Egypt, but the country has prosecuted LGBTQ+ people using laws designed to protect against public “debauchery.”

In July 2022, the UN was urged by a White House advisor and his partner to move the COP27 event due to the country’s treatment of LGBTQ+ people. They cited fears that they and other activists could be a target for security forces.

The couple said condemned the choice of Egypt to host due to “LGBTQ+ torture, woman slaughter and civil rights suppression.”

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In a recent poll, commissioned by research firm Social Change Lab, individuals were asked to look at seven methods for reducing animal agriculture-related emissions. They were instructed to select what they identified as the two most effective, if spearheaded by the UK government. 

The top choices were revealed to be eating locally sourced animal products (with 41 percent of the vote). And, offering farmers financial support to move toward organic farming. 

Encouraging a shift towards plant-based diets was the fifth-most popular answer. It garnered just 12 percent of the vote.

The findings suggest that the UK public does not understand the extent of animal farming’s impact on the climate. This is despite 50 percent claiming to be “somewhat clear” on what they can do to fight the climate crisis. In addition, 15 percent identified themselves as being “very clear.”

“It seems that the meat and dairy industry has successfully duped the public into thinking that eating local is the best thing to do for your carbon emissions,” James Ozden, founder of Social Change Lab, told Plant Based News.

“However, research shows this is far from the case. Eliminating meat and dairy products is the best way to reduce your food-related emissions.”

Is eating local meat better for the environment?

Respondents identifying locally produced animal products as a way to slash emissions indicates a major misconception surrounding food transportation’s impact.

The largest ever analysis of food systems came in 2018. Scientists Joseph Poore and Thomas Nemecek amassed data from 38,000 commercial animal farms in 119 countries.

Our World in Data created an infographic to highlight their breakdown of how greenhouse gas emissions are calculated across 29 food groups.

Beef, as the largest generator of food-based emissions, sits at the top of the chart. It is followed by a further three animal products. All four show transportation emissions as being a small percentage (10-20 percent) of the total generated. Conversely, farming practices comprise the vast majority.

It is estimated that a minimum of 14.5 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions are a result of animal agriculture. This is, in part, due to the increasing scale of industrial farming operations. “Mega farms” have resulted in a world cattle population of around one billion alone. Notably, each individual animal is able to belch 220 pounds of methane into the atmosphere.

Cutting down on meat and dairy consumption is considered a positive step towards emissions reductions. However, switching to a more plant-based food system has been regarded as the best course of action to avoid total climate breakdown.

The UK shows low support for plant-based legislation

Despite nine percent of the country identifying as vegan or vegetarian and a further 23 percent using the flexitarian tag, UK consumers appear largely unsupportive of potential governmental plant-based initiatives.

Approximately 14 percent of people polled by YouGov considered offering farmers financial aid to move to plant-based farming as a suitable priority. This was then followed by 12 percent wanting to see the government encouraging citizens to eat a meat-free diet. Finally, 11 percent considered redirecting farming subsidies to farmers who are not rearing animals as a viable option.

The only course of action to gain less support than plant-based initiatives was telling people to replace beef with chicken. 

Ozden tweeted his relief at the latter.

“Luckily, the UK public also doesn’t think we should switch from eating beef to eating chicken. Whilst potentially better for the climate, this would involve many more animals to be killed, which would be terrible for animal welfare. One cow produces as much meat as ≈300 chickens,” he said.

The UK government is considered by many, including its own food tsar Henry Dimbleby and the Climate Change Committee (CCC), to be falling short of its mandate to reduce food-related emissions. In a report published in June, the CCC shows that there is no tangible plan in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the farming sector.

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The study was commissioned by plant-based pet food brand Omni, and was published in the peer-reviewed journal Archives of Clinical and Biomedical Research.

It looked at 100 dogs over the course of 12 months. People with dogs registered with Omni were asked to fill out surveys on their dog’s health and appetites. 

It found that 90 percent of dogs who had previously suffered from GI issues had better stool consistency when they switched to a plant-based diet. It also found that 70 percent of those with dandruff saw an improvement in the condition.

What’s more, a number of people reported less anxiety in their companion animals. Around a quarter saw signs of their dogs’ aggression decrease. And over half said that their dog’s fur appeared to be more glossy.

The study’s authors said that, while promising, the results should be confirmed by more extensive studies with more animals. Relying on self-report data was also a study limitation.

Can dogs be vegan?

Whether or not we should feed dogs plant-based diets is a hugely contentious issue. This often rests on the widespread belief that they are carnivores. (This is not the case; domestic dogs, like humans, are omnivores).

However, a growing body of science indicates that vegan pet food is not only acceptable, but preferable to conventional dog food in many cases.

Earlier this year, the largest study ever conducted on dog diets found that plant-based eating was both healthier and safer.

The study, published in the Guardian, looked at the health of more than 2,500 companion dogs. It found that those following vegan diets had fewer health problems than those who ate conventional meat food.

Plant-based dogs also had fewer vet visits. 

Further, only a third of vegan dogs required non-routine medication, compared to almost half of meat-eaters.

What’s the issue with conventional dog food?

Commercial meat-based dog food comes with a host of health risks. It’s often made with meat deemed unfit for human consumption. This includes the “4Ds,” referring to meat from dead, dying, diseased, and disabled animals.

Plastic and other trash has also been found in meaty dog food, in addition to traces of euthanasia.

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Currently, the Southeast Asian country is the only place in the world that sells cell-based – also known as cultivated – meat. Eat Just, the company that creates the product, attended the United Nations climate conference. It is currently taking place in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt. 

Its cell-based meat division, GOOD Meat, served a range of chicken dishes. Sampling occurred at invite-only demonstrations held from November 12 to 14. Members of the press, government ministers and other notable figures were asked to taste the food.

The tastings come after regular menus at the summit were revealed to have leant heavily on meat and dairy ingredients. Beef and imported salmon featured prominently. Despite anger and disappointment that last year’s event included climate-damaging foods on the menus served to delegates, the pattern has repeated this year. This has resulted in criticism that the summit is not taking the food system’s impact seriously.

GOOD Meat chose to showcase its newest chicken development at the climate event. Ahead of service, Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just said: “We hope our guests at COP27 find their cultivated chicken meals both delicious and thought-provoking and they leave the summit with a new appreciation for the role food innovation can play in combating the global climate crisis. 

Future-friendly food

Climate experts are increasingly recommending plant-based diets. However, cell-based meat is also proposed as a solution to animal agriculture’s devastating impact on the environment.

Having the potential to reduce the emissions generated by conventional meat production by up to 92 percent, cell-based alternatives are eyed optimistically by those who are climate aware. 

The crux of the sustainability claims that underpin brands such as GOOD Meat is a reduction in methane emissions and deforestation. This will be a natural benefit of taking animal rearing and slaughter out of the food system. All this, while still offering consumers the animal protein that they enjoy.

However, despite the supporting science, cell-based meat’s global adoption has seen slow progress. Singapore, the pioneer of cultured regulatory approvals, has still only given the green light to two products. Both are chicken developments from GOOD Meat. It is due to give permission for another variation shortly after the COP27 summit comes to an end.

Outside of Singapore, things are moving at a seemingly slower pace. The US and EU have been particularly slow to grant approvals. However, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) recently ruled that chicken made by Californian start-up UPSIDE Foods is safe to eat.

“Singapore was the first country to allow the sale of meat made without tearing down a single forest or displacing an animal’s habitat, and we look forward to other countries following in their footsteps,” Tetrick said in a statement.

Could cell-based replace conventional meat at the next summit?

COP28 will be held in Dubai. This gives rise to optimism that if meat has to be served (despite repeated calls from activists for the event to be 100 percent plant-based), perhaps it could be cultured instead of slaughtered.

Though no approvals are in place yet, it was revealed earlier this year that Israeli food tech Aleph Farms is in discussions to produce cultivated beef and lamb steaks for the UAE. Talks occurred following investment from the Abu Dhabi sovereign fund ADQ.

Additionally, Nutrition Insight recently reported that the Dubai Future Foundation discussed the potential of cultivated meat to solve food security and sustainability issues. It did so at a two-day self-titled forum. 

Dubai is showing signs of being open to cultured meat developments. However, it is unknown if it will seek to serve them when hosting the world’s largest climate summit.

The post Cell-Based Meat Served At UN Climate Conference For First Time Ever appeared first on Plant Based News.

Having been vegan for eight years, the artist revealed that the treatment of animals within the food system pushed her towards the lifestyle. This, coupled with how their products impact the climate, helped her make the switch from vegetarianism. 

In a video posted to Instagram, Eilish talked about her journey to veganism. She then looked into the camera and addressed the climate crisis.

“Shifting our diets towards more plant-based foods can have a major impact on climate change,” she said.

Plant-based meals for US schools

FoE is taking aim at the almost five billion school meals being served every year in the US. It states that, as one of the largest public feeding initiatives, the K-12 school meal service provides an opportunity to improve not only student health, but also the climate crisis.

Despite what it refers to as a “growing demand” for plant-based options in schools, the provision is still extremely small, according to FoE. To improve this, the environmental campaign group seeks to facilitate easier transition to greater dietary choice.

A number of resources have been created, for catering providers, teaching staff, and students alike. For the food providers, this includes lists of plant-based suppliers, products, and sustainable packaging options.

It is hoped that, by providing a roadmap for implementing menu change, the process will be faster and easier. If so, it could lead to an increasing number of schools, across various states, contributing to essential climate action.

To date, only a small number of localities have sought to cater to plant-based school diners. Illinois is doing so due to a change in the law that comes into effect in August 2023. Meanwhile, New York is actively encouraging meat-free dining. More than 1,700 schools in the district are participating in Vegan Fridays, on the say-so of plant-based Mayor Eric Adams.

Eilish using her platform

The FoE campaign is not the first time Eilish has spoken out about vegan food and the climate emergency. 

Her Happier Than Ever tour, launched earlier this year, afforded her an opportunity to put the climate front and center. Alongside repeatedly encouraging her fan base to consider turning plant-based, she included an ‘Action Village’ at every concert location. 

The village hosted a number of environmental charities and organizations, including her own Support + Feed, launched with her mother, Maggie Baird. Featured organizations offered easy ways for Eilish fans to align with climate-friendly pledges. 

Eilish has also collaborated with Nike to create vegan Air Force 1 and Air Jordan sneakers. This, in part, earned her PETA’s “Person Of The Year” award in 2021. At the time, Ingrid Newkirk, president of the animal rights organization stated that Eilish was consistent in “seizing every opportunity” to promote plant-based food and cruelty-free fashion.

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