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…

JOEL MEAD: The UK is in the grip of its largest ever outbreak of bird flu. As its name suggests, avian influenza primarily affects birds, but it can also infect humans and other mammals... Though the UK government currently assesses the risk to the wider public as very low, some strains of bird flu can pass to humans after sustained close contact... As a result of the outbreak, mandatory housing of chickens has been in place in England since November 2022. This means that no eggs produced in England are currently “free-range”. There is no defined end to this situation and as of February,…

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…

VEGCONOMIST: A survey of Chinese consumers in four major cities has revealed immensely positive attitudes towards plant-based meat. Conducted by the School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences at Peking University, the research found that a huge 99.8% of respondents would be willing to buy locally-produced plant-based burgers. 85% had already tried plant-based meat, largely due to a desire to try new things and a belief that plant-based products are healthier. Women, highly educated people, and those with a high income were the most likely to buy plant-based meat. Beijing had the highest…

NICOLE MEYER: A new PETA TV spot airing this week during similarly grim movies The Day After Tomorrow and Zombieland is pointing to animal agriculture as a leading cause of the climate catastrophe and asking viewers, “Are you a bad parent?” while urging them to safeguard their children’s future by banning environmentally devastating meat and dairy from their homes. Much like The Last of Us’ Ellie (played by vegan Bella Ramsey), PETA’s protagonist is a young orphan trying to navigate a post-apocalyptic world. In the video, she lists the rules her mom enforced—such as not touching the stove…

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…

LILLIAN ROY: An animal rights group is taking responsibility for the frozen pig carcasses found hanging under overpasses in Montreal Thursday morning. Three carcasses were hung at three locations in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie overnight, prompting Montreal police (SPVM) to investigate... The pigs were hung at the intersections of Christophe-Colombe Avenue and des Carrières Street, Papineau Avenue and des Carrières Street, and de Lorimier Avenue and Dandurand Street. It appears the mystery has been solved, with the group Direct Action Everywhere confirming their involvement to various…