GEORGE MONBIOT: 'We are on the cusp of the biggest economic transformation, of any kind, for 200 years. While arguments rage about plant- versus meat-based diets, new technologies will soon make them irrelevant. Before long, most of our food will come neither from animals nor plants, but from unicellular life. After 12,000 years of feeding humankind, all farming except fruit and veg production is likely to be replaced by ferming: brewing microbes through precision fermentation. This means multiplying particular micro-organisms, to produce particular products, in factories... It comes in the…

CASPAR SALMON: 'Well into Veganuary and the head-scratching confusion over just exactly what veganism is continues.The perception of veganism as a diet or passing fad has somehow clung on in the health pages of our newspapers...There is a continual debate in the media about whether ‘the diet’ is healthy. This is beside the point. There is a stream of misinformation designed to trick people into believing that vegetarianism and veganism are simply not possible. This madness must stop, and it’s extraordinary that it has endured this long... Making the personal choice to live more ethically…

DANIEL HOWLEY: 'Impossible Foods CEO Pat Brown is bringing the heat to CES 2020 in Las Vegas, America’s biggest consumer tech trade show. The head of the plant-based meat company not only debuted two new products, a ground pork and pork sausage alternative, but slammed the meat industry in an interview with Yahoo Finance, calling it "the most destructive technology on Earth by far." The company's ultimate goal is to completely replace animals as a form of food by 2035. Impossible Foods already offers a beef alternative in its Impossible Burger, which uses plants and includes a soy-based…

DAN SATHERLEY: 'A new documentary aired in the UK, which calls for farming to be phased out in favour of food grown from bacteria in factories. George Monbiot's Apocalypse Cow aired on Wednesday night (UK time) on Channel 4. It begins with Monbiot - who was arrested last year during an Extinction Rebellion protest - saying flying less and getting rid of plastic straws isn't going to be enough to save the world from ecological catastrophe. "There's a bigger culprit that hardly anybody is talking about," he intones. "The food industry is destroying the living world and it appears to be…

VENESSA CHALMERS: 'Most meat eaters admit Veganism is ethical and good for the environment, a survey has revealed. But University of Bath experts found lovers of bacon, pork and steak also fear a plant-based diet would taste bland. Results of the poll of 1,000 meat-loving Britons showed 70 per cent thought a vegan diet was sustainable and ethical. The study, which comes while many will be attempting 'Veganuary', also revealed half of Brits believed it was healthy. However, they are clearly put off by a diet without animal produce, with half rating the food as tasteless. Although veganism…

EMIKO TERAZONO: 'Meat consumption in developed countries show signs of having peaked amid health scares and environmental and sustainability concerns. It has enormous implications for the planet, the $US1.2 trillion ($1.7 trillion) livestock meat market and individual traders... “I see it as a natural development in the food industry,” says Paul Martinelli, managing director of the meat supplier that has been working out of Smithfield since the 1980s. “There is a lot of interest in the product and our clients are asking us about it. They may choose to do it more in January and February than…

LIM LI YING: 'The links between diet and health have been thrust into the spotlight with Netflix’s documentary The Game Changers, in which Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton and former body builder Arnold Schwarzenegger discuss success on a plant-based diet... Demand for plant-based options are on the rise. Apart from plant-based meat options, there is a need to look at the implications of a plant-based diet... Chef Arnaud Hauchon, culinary curator at Fivelements, understands the lifestyle and how we can no longer “force” people to convert to a diet. “All of the deadliest diseases…

JEFF MCMAHON: 'U.S. farms cost the economy more in health and environmental damage than they contribute to the economy, according to a recent study in the Publication of the National Academy of the Sciences. For 20 economic sectors, the study compares the cost of premature deaths from particulate air pollution to the value added to the economy. Farms performed worst, driven down by animal agriculture. “At the margin, we're seeing that the damages from air pollution provided by farms are larger than the marginal value that the farms provide in economic terms,” said co-author Inês M.L.…

SOPIE HIRSH: 'With the climate crisis accelerating at the fastest rate we've ever seen and with vegan options at the top of their game, there’s no time like the present to try living a vegan lifestyle. Eating plant-based has a significantly lower environmental impact than any other diet, including a vegetarian, pescatarian, or meat-eating diet; veganism is the kindest diet for animals; and a diet rich in plants is generally healthier than one filled with animal products. A great way to dip your toes into the vegan lifestyle is by participating in Veganuary for the month of January.…

BUSINESS WIRE: 'Seven organizations dedicated to protecting the animals, people, and environments that suffer due to industrial animal agriculture filed a lawsuit today against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) challenging its decision to reduce oversight at pig slaughterhouses and eliminate limits on the slaughter speeds, exposing pigs to greater suffering and flouting federal humane slaughter, meat inspection, and environmental protection laws. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York on behalf of Farm Sanctuary, Animal Equality, the…