KATHRYN PARSONS: In recent years, veganism as a phenomenon has accelerated its growth as a movement with tangible changes in society, on our high streets and in our shops. As equally has a palpable political alignment to the left come with it, likely due to a supposed common alliance in their liberal stances and egalitarian core. Since its roots in the French Revolution, the left has stood for equality, class struggle and the protection of people from abuses of power. In contradiction to this, typical notions of conservatism bring to the fore thoughts of injustices within capitalist…

JORDI CASAMITJANA: One of the good things about the term vegan becoming more well-known and used in mainstream society is that we now have more delicious vegan food available everywhere. One of the bad things, though, is that more people may use the term incorrectly, or co-opt the concept of veganism taking it somewhere far from what it should be. Luckily, we have the definition of the Vegan Society to set things straight: “Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food,…

SARAH LUMLEY: Almost half of meat-eating Brits admit to being “pleasantly surprised” by the taste of plant-based food. Research of 2,000 adults who eat meat found 46 per cent have previously turned their nose up at “different” foods – only to be surprised by the flavour when they actually try them. Nearly half (48 per cent) confessed they wouldn’t generally consider a meal to be “complete” unless it contained meat, while 38 per cent were doubtful about eating plant-based alternatives altogether. However, of those who were pleasantly surprised by meat substitutes, meat-free sausages,…

PAULA COCOZZA: Frances Day’s husband died during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, so there was no funeral. “It was a horrid, horrid time. I was on my own. It took a long time for me to get fairly steady,” she says. Her 82nd birthday passed, and as the summer wore on, she thought: “I’ve got to do something. I don’t want my life to end now. I want to have a few adventures. Let’s start with veganism.” Day has three children, two of whom are vegans, so she was no stranger to the idea – but for decades it had been personally unthinkable. Her late husband had traditional tastes... She…

REBECCA GREGSON: Veganism is a dietary lifestyle that boasts of benefits to the planet and personal health, underpinned by a moral philosophy. More than a fad, for many, veganism is a part of who they are. Indeed, studies have found that, relative to vegetarians, self-identified vegans report that their diet is highly central to their identity. Vegans also tend to attribute high-levels of sentience to animals, identify with animals, and strongly support animal rights. Nonetheless, maintaining a vegan lifestyle represents a significant challenge for many people. A Fauntalytics study…

ALAN MOZES: Women who follow a healthy plant-based diet after menopause appear to face a substantially lower risk for breast cancer, new French research indicates. After tracking more than 65,000 women for two decades, investigators found those who consumed a healthy, primarily plant-based diet saw their risk for developing any type of breast cancer drop by an average of 14%... But the accent is on "healthy." Breast cancer risk fell only among women whose diets included a significant amount of whole grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, vegetable oils and tea or coffee -- even if red…

TRENT DAVIDSON: For many people, consuming fishes seems more sustainable and less morally problematic than eating chickens, pigs, cows, and other land animals. As a result, aquaculture—and fish farming specifically—has taken off in recent years. Despite this, there are many welfare issues associated with farming fishes, such as disease, environmental degradation, poor treatment, and the suffering these animals endure. As animal advocates confront these issues, they need to learn how to effectively bring them to consumers’ attention so they can mobilize the public to take action for fishes.…

ANNE-SOPHIE BRANDLIN: New plans for regulations such as a mandatory label documenting how animals were reared are supposed to improve animal welfare. Is that a right step toward more transparency for consumers - or greenwashing? Germany's federal government has come up with a draft bill for new regulations regarding animal welfare. "I want good meat from Germany to be served in the future as well. In order to do so, our farms urgently need a perspective they can rely on," Food and Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir said when introducing his plans. This perspective, he says, includes four…

AARON BASTANI: In the 1990s, decarbonisation was seen as the goal for many environmentalists. Since then the key focus of the green movement has to stop extracting fossil fuels and move to renewable energy. In a new book, one of the worlds foremost environmental campaigners argues that there is a far bigger existential threat to the vertebrate life on earth: Animal Agriculture. SOURCE... DAN SALADINO: In his twelfth book, Regenesis, George Monbiot argues that this chapter in the human story – in which animals play a central role in agricultural systems – must come to an end. In the action…

NARD: National Animal Rights Day (NARD) 12 will be commemorated around the world on Sunday June 5, 2022. Established by the non-profit Our Planet. Theirs Too. in 2011. NARD is an annual day observed in a growing number of countries around the world, on the first Sunday in June, for the purpose of giving a voice to all animals and raising awareness for their rights. It's "Memorial Day" and "Independence Day" for the animals, combined. On this day, special NARD events are held in major cities around the world, to Commemorate the billions of animals who die every year by human hands, Educate …