PRESTIGE: Identifying as vegan is no longer just about consuming a diet that excludes all foods of animal origin. Vegan convictions go beyond meal times and the travel industry is now looking to this market segment that wants to be faithful to its values including during vacations and especially in regards to choice of hotel. A growing number of establishments are providing rooms whose furniture and bedding is totally free from the use of animal products. A new category of accommodation is on the horizon. Here’s a closer look inside the quiet rise of vegan-friendly hotels. SOURCE...…

FOOD REVOLUTION NETWORK: From the team that brought you PlantPure Nation, From Food to Freedom tells the story of a live-in immersion program in Greensboro, NC with six participants (and two spouses) diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The 10-day program includes biometric testing, physician supervision, and daily meals. As we go through the immersion, we hear from participants of their past struggles living with such a dreaded disease, and we hear of their hope for a better life. We watch firsthand as they suddenly change their diet from a standard American diet to a whole food plant-based…

UC BERKELEY: With the world's population topping 8 billion last year, it's clear that humans have achieved a unique status in Earth's history. We are the only creature that dominate all other organisms on the planet, from animals and fungi to plants and microbes. It remains to be seen whether humans can retain this dominance as we push the global climate to extremes while driving to extinction the very organisms that we climbed over to get to the top. In a new book, a group of scientists and philosophers places part of the blame on an attitude prevalent among scientists and the general…

SMU: Researchers from Singapore Management University (SMU) have released a study that reveals a positive relationship between people's psychological well-being and their willingness to consume cultivated meat. The research, titled 'Higher well-being individuals are more receptive to cultivated meat: An investigation of their reasoning for consuming cultivated meat', which has been published in international research journal, Appetite, provides the first ever empirical evidence to support this correlation. The research also found that individuals' higher willingness can be motivated by the…

FIONA CALLINGHAM: Diet is a key factor when it comes to cholesterol, with certain foods raising levels and others lowering them. It has long been accepted that certain meats can be bad for cholesterol, with fatty cuts like sausages and bacon among those to be eaten in moderation. But now a study has shown that swapping out meat for plant-based alternatives can both lower “bad” cholesterol - known as low-density lipoprotein - and your risk of heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular disease. New research from the University of Warwick found that two types of meat alternatives had…

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…