BRIAN RESNICK: 'US dairy producers now have a 1.39 billion-pound surplus of cheese, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture. As the Washington Post has noted, that’s the largest domestic reserve of cheddar, Swiss, American, and other cheese varieties on record. It means there’s enough excess cheese to arm each American citizen with a hefty 4.6 pounds... A similar glut exists for the meat industry. According to new data from the USDA, American meat producers now have 2.5 billion pounds of chicken, turkey, pork, and beef in cold storage, which is also a record, according to…

SOFIA PETKAR: A study of 2,000 adults identified a vast generational divide on veganism, vegetarian and flexitarian lifestyles... The research revealed younger Brits are far more likely to embrace ‘Meat-free Mondays’ or even completely follow a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. But nearly half of older people don’t believe that going vegan will have a 'positive impact' on their health and fitness. And while millennials are twice as likely to see veganism as 'trendy' and 'cool', more than one in four over 50s see it as nothing more than a 'trend'. The research was conducted by Wellwoman Vegan,…

ANDREW FORGRAVE: 'Wales’s red meat sector is pledging to fight the scourge of “fake food news” on social media that denigrates the likes of Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef. Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC), the meat levy body for Wales, said it will deliver a “fact-based fightback” that champions meat’s nutritional values and environmental credentials... Chairman Kevin Roberts spoke out at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair to counter the “sensationalist and misleading health claims by the enemies of red meat”. “We live in an era of food fake news: of social media sophistry,” he said. “We’re fully aware that, aided…

JACK GUY: 'A team of researchers led by Dr. Marco Springmann, from the Nuffield Department of Population Health at Oxford University, estimated the rate of tax that would be necessary to offset health care costs related to red meat consumption. "The least intrusive form of regulation is a tax to raise prices and reduce consumption," said Springmann... Researchers concluded that the UK government should introduce a tax of 79% on processed meat such as bacon, and 14% on unprocessed meat such as steak. In the US these numbers would be 163% and 34% respectively. "The tax is higher in the US due…

CATHY SIEGNER: 'A recent study from DuPont Nutrition & Health found that 52% of U.S. consumers are eating more plant-based foods and they believe it makes them feel healthier. Roughly 60% of respondents said switching to plant-based food was permanent, or they hoped it was, and taste is the main reason why more people don't consume plant-based foods. The research, conducted with HealthFocus International, studied the eating habits of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers. It used standard demographic data and divided consumer groups into six areas based on a proprietary health and wellness…

MAYURI RAJVANSHI: 'Vegans can now rejoice at the landmark victory ‘Go Vegan World’ has achieved, by making UK’s Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) side with vegans. In the landmark decision, ASA has agreed to label dairy milk as ‘inhumane milk’. The crucial decision to call dairy milk as inhumane milk comes after several complaints filed against Go Vegan World, when they put up a advert claiming ‘Humane Milk is a Myth’ in February 2017. One of the chief complainant being National Farmer’s Union (NFU), this victory comes as a moment of relief and joy for vegans all over the world. However,…

SEAN POULTER: 'Billions of ‘sensitive, intelligent, and emotional’ fish are suffering horrific cruelty as a result of factory farming, environmental campaigners claim. While farming in sea cages is increasingly regulated, there has been a rise in farms using land-based concrete tanks. Lobby group Compassion in World Farming (CiWF) said the fish held in such tanks are more likely to suffer from disease and parasites and so are routinely treated with antibiotics and chemicals. A spokesman added that many were not slaughtered humanely: ‘Billions of fish are living lives of abject misery.’ Dr…

PETER SINGER: 'Meat – or at least meat as we have known it – may be cooked... Vegans are suddenly everywhere. Restaurants that serve meals completely free of all animal products have opened all over... With celebrities such as Beyoncé, Oprah and Pink, all singing the praises of reducing or eliminating meat consumption, veganism is undoubtedly having a moment. There are two distinct threats that could indicate that yes, meat is on the way out. One is that a continuation of present trends against consuming meat will make it socially unacceptable for a large segment of society, as tobacco is…

VERONIQUE GREENWOOD: 'If you’ve noticed more vegetarian options springing up around you, you’re not imagining it. Food companies and market research firms have noted a distinct uptick in demand... Plant-based foods are a trend that’s “here to stay”, Nestle told analysts last year, and better-tasting meat substitutes are in high demand, as the market is expected to grow to $7.5bn dollars by 2025... But what is the economic impact of shifting your diet away from meat and other animal products? Can it be a smart financial decision, for the individual? And if more people make the shift, how will…

COLIN ALEXANDER: 'Scientists, environmentalists and animal rights activists have said it for many years. Now conclusive analysis has confirmed their argument. The global meat industry not only damages our health and is ethically dubious – it is unsustainable because of the damage it does to the environmental prospects of our planet. Yet politicians have little desire to do anything meaningful about it. Instead, they have a long history of ignoring or suppressing inconvenient evidence that is detrimental to the major industries of a free market economy... The meat industry is one of the…