HEALTH

VEGCONOMIST: The Italian government becomes the next in a growing list of those proposing restricted labelling on plant-based meat from using “meaty” terms, in a move ProVeg describes as “misleading and backwards.” The bill notes that its efforts represent an attempt to protect livestock production in the country, even though animal agriculture is responsible for about 20% of greenhouse gas emissions globally... “Plant-based foods emit half the amount of greenhouse gases as animal-based foods, so we need to introduce policies that actively encourage people to switch to more flexitarian…

ROZALI TELBIS: According to the Vegan Society, veganism seeks to “exclude — as far as is possible and practicable — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.” By definition, there are no additional prerequisites needed; vegans are not required to subscribe to a number of additional causes in order to adhere to this belief system that centers non-human animals. But intersectional veganism is no longer being promoted in niche online communities only. It’s now being more accepted across vegan communities and organizations in which vegans…

INDIA TV: Maa Ka Doodh: Uncovering A Nation’s Dairy Disaster is an investigative feature-length documentary film that follows the journey of Dr. Harsha Atmakuri who undertakes an investigation to find out the untold stories behind the success of India’s White Revolution - The World’s Largest Dairy Production and Development Campaign. The documentary also explores the ethical, cultural, environmental, religious, economic, and political complexities the consumption of dairy in India has created since millennia. . The film follows Dr. Harsha Atmakuri who travels over 20,000 kilometres across…

JORDI CASAMITJANA: In the last decade or so, the identity of vegan and animal rights persons have overlapped a lot, to the point many may assume they are the same. In the past, though, they were more clearly separate. Especially for those who have recently acquired either of them, it may be worth looking at their similarities and differences to see how they intersect... Veganism and animal rights are indeed philosophies, in the sense they are particular systems of thought relating to the understanding of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. Also, they are both…

FIONA JACKSON: We're all used to seeing the gruesome images of black lungs and rotting teeth on packets of cigarettes, designed to put smokers off the unhealthy habit. Now, scientists say that slapping similar stickers on packs of meat in supermarkets could help to shame buyers. The stickers could include sad images of animals, accompanied by messages such as: 'Animals suffer when you eat meat.' They could also include images of decimated forests with the words: 'The Amazon rainforest is destroyed when you eat meat.' A study from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands found that…

MARINA BOLOTNIKOVA: Many people now know about the cruelty of factory farming, which is how almost all US meat and eggs are produced, but they’re reluctant to connect it to the cheap food on their plates. It’s not surprising that consumers are caught in this cognitive dissonance, yet I’ve still been surprised to see it reflected by so many journalists, both national and local, in the last several weeks. One Atlantic writer, for example, remarked in a piece recently that she was “indignant” to spend $6 on a dozen eggs. But how much is too much to pay for the product of an animal’s indignity…

LAD BIBLE: In 2021, a set of identical twins took part in an experiment that involved one going vegan while the other consumed meat to see which is the healthiest. The diets are complete polar opposites, but which one is being kinder to your body? Well, explorers Hugo and Ross Turner decided to put the plant-based and omnivore diets to the test to see which was best - with Hugo ditching meat and dairy and Ross sticking to a diet that included meat, dairy and fish. The twins took part in the Kings College London study over a 12-week period and ate the same number of calories each day as well…

MARLENE CIMONS: A diet heavy in plant-based foods — fresh fruits and vegetables — can reduce both the progression of prostate cancer and the likelihood that it will return, new research shows. Eating fruits and vegetables has many health benefits, such as reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and contributes to a longer life span, said Vivian Liu, clinical research coordinator for the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of California at San Francisco and lead study author. “Now, we have evidence that they can influence this very common — and…

SAUL ELBEIN: A new survey has found that 78 percent of Americans want federal farm funding to prioritize food for people over feed for livestock. The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future and the farm advocacy group Farm Action published the bipartisan survey of 1000 people. It represented the first time those groups asked explicitly about American crop subsidies — a form of federal aid overwhelmingly spent on growing crops to feed beef and dairy cattle, chickens and pigs. The survey is part of a broader campaign that seeks a general reversal in American food policy — with these…

MARK TRAVERS: Recent trends in research have alluded to the possibility that our diets and our psyches are far more connected than we once believed. Adam Sud, the lead researcher of The INFINITE Study, has dedicated his career to understanding the relationship between nutrition and mental health. The study, which found that a person's dietary pattern can significantly impact their mental health, was born out of Sud's own struggles with addiction and mental health issues. He discovered that making changes to his diet helped improve his mental health, and he now hopes to help others do the…