The EAT-Lancet report was a first-of-its-kind scientific review of what constitutes a healthy and sustainable diet. It included recommendations for speeding up food system change and described “The Planetary Health Diet,” which emphasizes nutritious, sustainable plant foods.

Some of the world’s most prominent food and nutrition experts carried out the research before publishing it in a peer-reviewed, evidence-based scientific report. However, it was met with notable backlash, much of which featured misinformation, conspiracy theories, and personal attacks.

According to a leaked document seen by investigative journalism website DeSmog, PR firm Red Flag played a significant role in fueling backlash against the report. According to DeSmog, the document indicates that Red Flag briefed journalists, think tanks, and influencers to frame the EAT-Lancet report as “radical,” “out of touch,” and “hypocritical.”

Read more: Animal Ag, Not Fossil Fuels, Is The Leading Cause Of Climate Change, Says New Study

‘Red Flag turned EAT-Lancet into a culture war issue’

Red Flag reportedly conducted its campaign against EAT-Lancet on behalf of the Animal Agriculture Alliance (AAA), which protects the industry against “emerging threats.” The AAA also features board members representing Cargill and Smithfield Foods, two of the world’s largest meat companies. The PR firm’s client list also includes companies from the tobacco and chemicals industries, along with Google, and DeSmog reported that Red Flag advises the Meat Institute.

“Red Flag turned EAT-Lancet into a culture war issue,” said Jennifer Jacquet, professor of environmental science and policy at the University of Miami and lobbying expert, per DeSmog. “Instead of having nuanced conversations about the data, Red Flag takes us back to mud slinging. […] This document is a portrait of what we’re up against – as people who care about the truth, about climate change, and about the future.”

Since the publication of the EAT-Lancet report in 2019, a growing body of research has reaffirmed its core points: that the current meat-focused food system is both unsustainable and unhealthy, and that emphasizing nutritious plant-based foods in place of animal proteins would have far-reaching benefits to human health, planetary health, and beyond.

An updated report titled EAT-Lancet 2.0 is coming later this year.

Plant Based News has reached out to both Red Flag and the Animal Agriculture Alliance for comment.

Read more: Over 130 Organizations Call For ‘EU Action Plan’ On Plant-Based Foods

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

Researchers from the University of Ottawa have presented tragacanth, a natural gum made from the dried sap of certain legumes, as a natural and animal-free alternative to gelatin made from farmed animals. 

In a research paper published in Physics of Fluids earlier this month, they highlighted how gelatin is “one of the most utilized biopolymers” because of its significant versatility. It can be found in food, drink, medicines, cosmetics, packaging, and even in photographic film.

This versatility is difficult to emulate, but finding an alternative has become a “significant research area” because of growing “environmental and health concerns” about animal use.

The team investigated tragacanth’s properties by blending different concentrations of the gum with gelatin and monitoring the mixture’s survivability in salinated water. They noted that because gum tragacanth is water-swellable and water-soluble, it could be a “promising” replacement. However, incorporating tragacanth led to a more porous film overall.

“Partial replacement of gelatin will reduce animal-based product use,” lead author Ezgi Pulatsu told Phys.org. “Our efforts in the full replacement of gelatin are ongoing.”

Read more: What Is Gelatin, And Why Isn’t It Suitable For Vegans?

The impact of gelatin

Gelatin is a flavorless, natural polymer derived from collagen. It is found in animal body parts and is extracted by boiling the pieces with water. Most is derived from the skins, bones, and ligaments of cows and pigs killed by the meat industry. While gelatin is often considered a by-product, its use in everything from medicines to food makes it commercially valuable.

Gelatin is a common ingredient for certain soups, dips, and sauces, and is widely used for producing gummy and foam sweets. Despite its use in confectionery, around 67 percent of people in the UK are unaware that some sweets are made using animal-derived ingredients.

In 2024, the Danish food cooperative KMC launched two versions of a potato-based gelling agent designed for making sweets. One, Gelamyl 625, retains a soft and chewy bite, while the other, Gelamyl 805, is suitable for Haribo-style gummies and Wine Gums. KMC created these gelling agents specifically as sustainable, inclusive, and versatile replacements for gelatin.

Potato is one of the lowest-impact ingredients in the world, particularly when locally sourced. Where growing potatoes has a climate footprint of approximately 0.29kg of CO2 per kg, farming and harvesting cow gelatin has a footprint of 18.63kg of CO2 per kg.

Read more: Animal Ag, Not Fossil Fuels, Is The Leading Cause Of Climate Change, Says New Study

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

Microplastics and even smaller particles known as nanoplastics have been found in many parts of the human body, including reproductive organs. Microplastics contains thousands of chemicals, and can impact hormone production, lower sperm counts and quality, and cause damage to ovaries and erectile function.

But anthocyanins, the natural compounds found in many plants that give them their color, appear to offer some protection against these effects. Oxidative damage and inflammation are two major causes of microplastic toxicity in the body. Anthocyanins can counteract this due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Read more: Plant-Rich Diets Boost Gut Health, Study Finds

The mechanism by which the plant compounds offer protection is their interaction with steroid receptors that bind with important reproductive hormones such as estrogen and androgen. According to the research, anthocyanins either stop microplastics from interacting with steroid receptors, or directly interact with the receptors themselves. The compounds modulate the receptors, potentially helping to restore hormonal balance and and protect reproductive organs. Anthocyanins are a “promising candidate” in the ongoing search for natural compounds that can counteract the harmful effects of microplastics, the study concludes.

Which foods contain anthocyanins?

Fruits and vegetables that are red, purple, or blue are particularly rich in anthocyanins. Berries including mulberries, blackberries, and cherries are good sources of these compounds. Black beans, red onion, red cabbage, and aubergines are also rich in anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins are a subset of the group of antioxidants called flavonoids. As well as giving fruits and vegetables their color, they are responsible for the color of many flowers.

Several studies have found that anthocyanins can help to prevent diseases linked to inflammation and oxidative stress. These include cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative conditions. Anthocyanins also support gut health, improving the diversity of gut bacteria and boosting the number of good bacteria.

Read more: Eating A Higher Ratio Of Plant Protein Supports Heart Health, Finds Study

This article was written by Claire Hamlett on the PBN Website.

The study drew on data from 14,566 conservation projects with a combined fund of USD $1.963 billion. An analysis showed that 82.9 percent of the funding and 84 percent of the projects were focused on vertebrates. This is 10 to 40 percent more than reported in previous studies. Among vertebrates, birds and mammals receive 85 percent of funding, while amphibians receive just 2.8 percent.

Large mammals such as elephants and rhinos are even more overrepresented in conservation projects. Though they account for only a third of threatened mammals, 86 percent of funding is dedicated to them. Meanwhile, funding for other mammals that are classed as endangered such as rodents, bats, and hedgehogs is limited. Overall, funding supports around six percent of species classified as threatened, and 29 percent of the funding was used for species of “least concern.”

Read more: ‘Old And Wise’ Animals Essential For Species Survival, Study Finds

“Both governments and nongovernmental stakeholders urgently need new approaches to help tackle the biodiversity crisis,” the researchers write. This includes “realigning funding priorities to ensure representative funding across taxa toward vulnerable and currently neglected species.”

Small species and plants neglected

Plants and invertebrates receive hardly any conservation attention, the research found. Each accounts for only 6.6 percent ($129 million) of funding and 7.8 percent and 5.7 percent of conservation projects, respectively. This is despite 45 percent of flowering plant species being threatened with extinction, and invertebrates accounting for around 97 percent of all animals on the planet. Fungi and algae are even more neglected, accounting for less than 0.2 percent of funding each.

Part of the problem is that a relatively small number of these species have assessed for their conservation status. While 80 percent of vertebrates have been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), only 18 percent of plants, 1.8 percent of invertebrates, and 0.4 percent of fungi have been. Many of these species remain undocumented by science.

A further problem, according to the new research, is that the majority of conservation projects target single species instead of multiple species. This means habitats and ecosystems that support many “less conspicuous species” don’t get as much support.

“Future allocation of funding needs to address these biases by distributing resources to a wider range of vulnerable species,” the researchers write.

Read more: Wild Fish Can Tell Humans Apart By Their Clothing, Study Finds

This article was written by Claire Hamlett on the PBN Website.

Burning fossil fuels for energy is widely accepted as the leading cause of global warming. But in a peer-reviewed paper published in Environmental Research Letters, Gerard Wedderburn-Bisshop argues that animal agriculture is actually the primary driver of climate change, responsible for 53 percent of global average temperature rise between 1750 and 2020. That equates to 0.64ºC of warming. In contrast, he claims that fossil fuels are responsible for 19 percent of warming, equating to 0.21°C.

Read more: Scientists Observe Factory Farm Pollution From Space

Wedderburn-Bisshop, a former Australian government environmental scientist who is now Executive Director of World Preservation Foundation, contends that the way emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are calculated, devised in the 1990s, are out of date. Applying advances in understanding of emissions gives a more accurate picture of global warming’s causes, he argues. This method reveals land use change, driven mainly by animal agriculture, to be a far bigger contributor of emissions than previously thought.

Consistent accounting

There are three advances in climate science that Wedderburn-Bisshop applies to arrive at his conclusion. First is the use of consistent carbon accounting. His paper explains that emissions accounting rules of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have meant that full emissions are counted for fossil fuels and all other sources, with the exception of deforestation.

When vegetation and trees regrow, they draw down carbon. This has led to emissions from human activities causing deforestation being counted partially as net emissions rather than gross emissions. Meanwhile, gross emissions are counted for burning fossil fuels. But all emissions, no matter the source, get drawn down by growing vegetation, which means they should be counted the same way, and that deforestation-causing sectors shouldn’t be credited with the free work nature is doing to absorb their emissions, says the study.

Consistent use of gross emissions accounting across sectors reveals animal agriculture, the biggest cause of land use change and deforestation, to be responsible for 19 percent more carbon than fossil fuels since 1750, according to the paper. Another paper published by Wedderburn-Bisshop in October 2024 covers this topic in more depth.

Effective Radiative Forcing and inclusive accounting

How to account for the warming potentials of different greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide and methane, has been the subject of much debate. Global Warming Potential over a 100 year period (GWP100) has been the IPCC standard metric, but recently there have been efforts, pushed particularly by high-methane emitting sectors like animal agriculture, to use others such as GWP*, which accounts for the shorter lifespan of methane compared to CO2.

Instead of GWP, Wedderburn-Bisshop argues that Effective Radiative Forcing (ERF) should be used. “ERFs are the best science available on warming caused by each gas. They are calculated in very complex atmospheric and spatial models, and are fitted to observations, so they are the most accurate metric we have,” he said. Using ERF to measure the climate impact of different gases reveals that methane’s impact, understood cumulatively, has been vastly underestimated.

Read more: UK Facing Broccoli Shortage Due To Changing Climate

The third advance that changes understanding of the main sources of climate change is for all emissions, both warming and cooling, to be counted. While animal agriculture emits mostly warming gases, fossil fuels emit gases that have both warming and cooling effects. The cooling gases have masked the warming impact of CO2 emissions from fossil fuels. This inclusive accounting reveals that while fossil fuel warming accounts for 0.79°C, there is 0.59°C cooling from co-emissions. By contrast, agriculture as a whole has caused 0.86°C warming but only 0.13°C cooling.

Policy implications

“Ignoring cooling from fossil fuel burning strongly distorts the true picture of what human activities have caused global warming,” Wedderburn-Bisshop told Plant Based News. “If we account for cooling, we have a far greater understanding of what is actually happening, so we are in a far better position to develop a more effective policy response.”

Applying inclusive and consistent accounting along with ERF would mean a shift in climate policy. “Normalizing and adopting gross deforestation emissions accounting would support policies aimed at reducing deforestation and preserving forests,” writes Wedderburn-Bisshop. “Knowing that clearing and re-clearing re-release an increasing proportion of fossil carbon informs policy that destruction of forest of any age could be seen in the same way as burning coal.”

However, the break down of cooling aerosols will result in future warming from fossil fuels. For this reason, Wedderburn-Bisshop stresses the necessity of an urgent shift away from fossil fuels.

Choices to be made

Wedderburn-Bisshop’s approach disputes the long-held view that fossil fuels are the leading cause of climate change. According to the IPCC, anthropogenic carbon dioxide has contributed the most to global warming, followed by methane. The official figure from the United Nations states that animal agriculture is responsible for 14.5 percent of emissions, which is a figure still supported by many climate scientists. Another study published in 2021 put the “minimum figure” at 16.5 percent.

However, Wedderburn-Bisshop’s paper is part of an ongoing debate about how best to measure emissions and their warming impacts. The IPCC has discussed the choices that need to be made when it comes to which emissions metrics to use. In 2018, it wrote: “Some of the choices involved in metrics are scientific (e.g., type of model, and how processes are included or parameterized in the models). Choices of time frames and climate impact are policy-related and cannot be based on science alone, but can be used to analyse different approaches and policy choices.”

Read more: Over 130 Organizations Call For ‘EU Action Plan’ On Plant-Based Foods

This article was written by Claire Hamlett on the PBN Website.

Researchers observed fish using visual cues like diving gear color to tell humans apart. The saddled sea bream and black sea bream used in the study possess “acute color vision,” which they successfully used to distinguish between divers with different colored clothing.

This phenomenon was observed at both a population level and within identifiable individuals. However, when divers wore matching gear, correct identification was “greatly diminished.”

Maëlan Tomasek of Germany’s Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour led the study, alongside Katinka Soller and Alex Jordan. The study – titled “Wild fish use visual cues to recognize individual divers” – was published in the journal Biology Letters earlier this month.

The new study noted that evidence from captive conditions suggests many aquatic species – such as octopuses and archerfish – can recognize different humans. In this case, however, researchers studied the bream within their natural habitat, the Mediterranean Sea.

Read more: Crabs And Other Crustaceans Do Feel Pain, Scientists Say

‘Maybe it’s time we that we can care about them, too’

Speaking to the Guardian, Tomasek suggested that his team’s research could prompt a reconsideration of how humans treat fish and other aquatic animals.

“It’s very human to not want to care about them, but the fact that they can care about us, maybe it’s time that we can care about them, too,” said Tomasek.

Separate research from 2023 found that certain fish can recognize themselves in pictures and reflective surfaces, which the authors suggested could indicate self-awareness. Another study, also from 2023, indicated that individuals from the tiny, tropical bluestreak cleaner wrasse species may check their size in a reflection before attacking other fish.

In 2024, other scientists from the Max Planck Institute captured footage of octopuses and fish hunting cooperatively. Speaking to NBC at the time, the study’s co-author Eduardo Sampaio noted that humans are “very similar to these animals,” and “closer than we think.”

Read more: Aquaculture Kills More Wild Fish Than Previously Thought, Study Finds

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

The study, published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, analyzed 36 NHS UK hospitals and looked at sustainability plans alongside the menus on offer across the hospitals. Using this analysis, a scoring system was created assess the quantity and availability of plant-based foods versus meat-based meals. 

Read more: Denmark Agrees Deal On Agriculture Emissions Tax

Isabelle Sadler, lead author of the study, commented: “Despite the NHS’s commitment to becoming a net-zero healthcare service by 2045, our analysis reveals that hospital menus currently show little alignment with sustainable practices. With the NHS serving 140 million patient meals annually, there’s significant untapped potential to reduce environmental impact through menu changes.”

Some of the most significant findings of the study included all of the analyzed hospital menus serving processed meat, despite its group 1 carcinogen status. It found that less than 50 percent of NHS Trusts had any plans to increase plant-based portions in line with sustainability goals, and that meat from particularly damaging ruminant animals – like beef, lamb, and goat – were prominent on menus. 

Read more: One-Third Of Brits Back Plant-Based Shift In Hospitals 

Falling short on plant-based options

The study found 42 percent of the menus had no fully plant-based main dinner options, while 50 percent offered no lunch options that were fully plant-based. The majority of hospitals were not found to be making any significant efforts to encourage patients and customers to make sustainable food choices. Hospitals outsourcing catering were found to be more climate-friendly than those keeping catering in-house.

A consumer survey conducted in 2024 asked 2,000 people in the UK if they would welcome efforts to add more sustainable vegan options to hospital menus — over a third of the survey participants responded that they would be open to the idea.

PBHP UK is moving forward with the Plants First Healthcare initiative in an effort to help healthcare menus introduce more vegan food options, with the backing of other climate and health organizations. 

Plant Based News has contacted the NHS for comment.

Read more: What Neal Barnard And Other Plant-Based Doctors Have For Dinner

This article was written by Adam Protz on the PBN Website.

For the study, German researchers surveyed 2,126 Americans online. They were offered descriptions and pictures of four burgers and asked to choose between them. These were a beef burger, a more realistically meaty plant-based burger (analogue), a plant-based burger that was similar to meat in appearance only (semi-analogue), and a falafel burger (non-analogue).

While the majority, at 75 percent, chose the beef burger, the researchers were surprised that the falafel burger beat the analogue burger as the first choice of 11.5 percent of respondents. It also had the largest share of second-choice votes at 33.7 percent. The analogue burger was first choice for the fewest people, only 6.3 percent. The results also revealed that most people would eat a meat-free burger if no meat burger were available. Just a third would refuse to eat a meat-free burger in such a scenario.

Read more: Digital ‘Nudging’ Can Motivate Online Shoppers To Buy Plant-Based Foods, Says Study

“This contradicts the widespread assumption that meat substitutes are only competitive if they are as close as possible to the original,” lead author Steffen Jahn said in a statement.

Price makes a difference

Many manufacturers of plant-based meat alternatives are trying to replicate meat as closely as possible with plant ingredients. But the study suggests that similarity to meat might matter less than cost.

As a second part of the study, the researchers asked participants to make choices once prices had been attached to the burgers. Cost had notable impact on whether participants chose meat-free burgers or not. If they were more expensive than the beef burger, as they often are in reality, there was a 20 percent drop in people choosing them.

The share of people choose meat-free burgers rose to 21 percent if they cost the same as beef burgers. If they were cheaper, that share rose further. When they cost half as much as meat, 38 percent of people chose them. Preference for analogue burgers in particular rose based on lower price.

Unexpectedly, the number of male participants that chose cheaper meat-free burgers reached nearly 50 percent. This was despite men being more committed to eating meat. Even men who had never tried a meat-free burger before opted for one if it was a lot cheaper.

“Restaurants and food manufacturers might actually be able to increase their sales of vegetarian or vegan alternatives if they offered meat substitutes at lower prices than the meat options,” said Jahn. “A truly faithful imitation is not the goal here, our study suggests.” He speculated that this could be because people have come to think of meat analogues as ultra-processed.

Read more: Shoppers Feel Sorry For ‘Sad’ Lone Bananas In Supermarkets, Study Finds

This article was written by Claire Hamlett on the PBN Website.

Some birds use the fur of dogs and cats to line their nests. Researchers from the UK and Switzerland collected 103 fur-lined nests from blue and great tits at the end of breeding season. In the study, published in Science of the Total Environment, they found that every nest was contaminated with between two to 11 types of chemicals, including fipronil and imidacloprid. Fipronil is banned for agricultural use in Europe and the UK and imidacloprid is banned in Europe. But it is still legal to use both in flea treatments for companion animals. The researchers also detected 15 other types of pesticides.

Read more: Cats Are Getting Sick And Dying From Bird Flu In The US

In nests with a higher number or concentration of pesticides, the researchers found a higher number of unhatched eggs or dead chicks. More highly contaminated nests came from urban areas where there was more exposure to treated dog or cat fur.

Call for changes to veterinary drug use

The chemicals are so prevalent in the environment because of the frequency with which they are used and the huge number of animals they are applied to.

Flea and tick treatments containing insecticides are often applied topically to fur, with vets usually recommending they be used monthly. There are around 12.5 million cats and 13.5 million dogs living in the UK. Around 80 percent receive flea treatments at least once a year, according to the study. Given the numbers, “there is clear potential for substantial amounts of these chemicals to enter the environment,” the researchers write.

Research has revealed contamination of rivers in the UK with chemicals from topical flea and tick treatments. They enter waterways when treated dogs swim in river or owners wash their hands after application. Even at low concentrations, the insecticides can kill aquatic wildlife.

Scientists and campaigners have called on the UK government to change its approach to the use of the insecticides. They have urged comprehensive environmental risk assessments of the use of veterinary drugs and for vets to recommend the use of flea treatment only when animals actually have fleas.

Read more: Wildlife Populations Have Plunged 73% In 50 Years

This article was written by Claire Hamlett on the PBN Website.

Including carbon footprint information on food labels increased the selection of plant-based options by 37 percent. Strategically categorizing plant-based products increased selection by 25 percent. When combined, both nudges increased selection by 32 percent.

Agricultural economists Bhagyashree Katare of Purdue University and Shuoli Zhao of the University of Kentucky carried out the new research, which PNAS published in December.

“A lot of research has been done on point-of-purchase nudges, but that has been done in a physical setting. In this study, we look at that in the growing domain of online grocery shopping,” said Katare. “It provides actionable evidence that small interventions can increase the selection of plant-based products or healthy products.”

Katare and Zhao used the Open Science Online Grocery platform to simulate a typical online shopping experience with thousands of products across a wide range of categories. More than 2,350 U.S. residents participated in the study. Katare and Zhao’s work also features in a PNAS collection on the sustainability of animal-derived and plant-based foods.

Read more: US School Children Get More Access To Healthy Plant-Based Foods Under New Rules

Labeling most effective ‘nudge’ for online shoppers

Various restaurants and cafeterias have successfully used nudges to promote healthy or sustainable choices by customers. Meanwhile, modern supermarkets are famously designed to encourage additional expenditure and last-minute purchases from in-person shoppers.

According to the new research, providing information – meaning labeling – was the most effective form of nudging. However, previous studies have found that providing information is more effective when combined with another form of nudging, such as categorization.

According to the researchers, more than 45 percent of consumers regularly shop for groceries online. Global retail e-commerce sales are projected to grow nearly 40 percent in the coming years and are predicted to surpass eight trillion US dollars by 2027.

Katare noted that online shopping could mitigate the food access issues experienced by millions of Americans every year. “Encouraging” research from 2023 indicated that online grocery shopping will likely be an “important step” in improving access to nutritious foods.

Read more: Vegan Food Should Be Cheaper And More Accessible, Say UK Climate Advisers

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

In a new study, the researchers from the University of Guelph combined protein isolates from lentils, peas, and fava beans with different amounts of coconut and sunflower oils. They found that blending pea protein isolate with 25 percent coconut oil and 75 percent sunflower oil matched or surpassed the functionality of cheese made with pea protein and 100 percent coconut oil.

Read more: Company Develops Protein-Based Sugar Alternative

The 25 percent coconut oil blend had good firmness, meltability, and stretchability. Meanwhile, increasing the proportion of sunflower oil and lowering that of coconut oil reduced the saturated fat content.

“Ultimately, we want to improve the nutrition, increase the protein content, and lower the saturated fat content of cheese alternatives,” lead researcher Alejandro Marangoni said in a statement. “But keeping all the functionality in there, which includes the melt and the stretch of the ‘cheese,’ is very difficult.”

Knowledge of plant proteins lacking

Marangoni said that while there is reasonably good understand of how milk and meat proteins behave, the same is not true for plant proteins. “There is also a huge variety of different plant proteins, each one very different from another,” he said.

Several companies have been exploring other plant-based ingredients that can achieve the desired meltability and stretch in vegan cheese. Danish co-operative KMC has created a range of potato-based modified starches to be used by plant-based cheese makers for that purpose. Belgian food tech company Those Vegan Cowboys has launched an animal-free casein made with precision fermented microbes.

Read more: Scientists Are Using AI To Improve Vegan Meat Alternatives

This article was written by Claire Hamlett on the PBN Website.

Researchers from Portland State University (PSU) tested samples of edible flesh from fishes bought by grocery stores and caught at sea. The species were black rockfish, lingcod, Chinook salmon, Pacific herring, Pacific lamprey, and pink shrimp. They are found off the coast of Oregon in the North Pacific Ocean.

Testing found 1,806 suspected particles in 180 out of 182 samples. Fibers, which often shed from clothes when washed, made up 82 percent of the particles discovered. The remained of particles were almost entirely plastic fragments.

“It’s very concerning that microfibers appear to move from the gut into other tissues such as muscle,” study co-author Susanne Brander, a professor in environmental toxicology at Oregon State University, told Scitech Daily. “This has wide implications for other organisms, potentially including humans too.”

Read more: Aquaculture Kills More Wild Fishes Than Previously Thought, Study Finds

Previous studies have found microplastics in bivalves such as mussels and in the gastrointestinal tracts of fishes and crustaceans. The new study adds to the picture of how ubiquitous microplastic contamination is by showing that particles also make their way into muscle tissue of marine species.

Shrimp most contaminated

Shrimp is the most consumed species of aquatic animal in the US. Among the species tested in the Oregon study, pink shrimp had the highest concentrations of particles in their flesh. They filter-feed just below the water surface and so may be more exposed to particle pollution.

“We found that the smaller organisms that we sampled seem to be ingesting more anthropogenic, non-nutritious particles,” Dr. Elise Granek, one of the study’s authors who runs the PSU Applied Coastal Ecology Lab, told Scitech Daily. “Shrimp and small fish, like herring, are eating smaller food items like zooplankton. Other studies have found high concentrations of plastics in the area in which zooplankton accumulate and these anthropogenic particles may resemble zooplankton and thus be taken up for animals that feed on zooplankton.”

Chinook salmon had the least amount of particles in their flesh, followed by black rockfish and lingcod.

The researchers warn that microplastics contain chemical additives and can absorb chemicals from the environment. These chemicals can leach into the body of marine animals who ingest microplastics, causing gut damage, oxidative stress, and adverse immune responses in the animals.

In addition to the issue of microplastics, a growing number of people are moving away from eating fishes on ethical and environmental concerns. The fishing industry is hugely destructive to the ocean, and there is growing evidence that fishes are sentient and have complex minds and abilities.

Read more: Notpla Secures £20 Million In Funding For Plastic-Free Seaweed Packaging

This article was written by Claire Hamlett on the PBN Website.

Read more: ‘What Food History Tells Us About Living Longer’

RFK Jr is a divisive figure. He repeats controversial and widely debunked conspiracy theories on everything from vaccines to fluoride. He has also promoted high-risk fad foods such as raw milk.

RFK Jr’s appointment as the Secretary of Health will entrust him with providing “effective health and human services,” as well as fostering “sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services.”

Many medical professionals have criticized his appointment, contrasting his wild theorizing with the seriousness of the role. One Professor of Paediatric Infection and Immunity referred to the decision as a “slap in the face” of evidence-based health policies, particularly in light of RFK Jr’s repeated criticism of vaccines.

Despite his many unsupported health claims, some professionals have welcomed the opportunity to “galvanize” progress in areas that they, RFK Jr, and much of the American public share ground. In particular, RFK is an outspoken critic of the “heavily processed unhealthy foods” which make up approximately 60-70 percent of the standard American diet (SAD).

Processed foods come with both risks and benefits

Rohini Bajekal, Nutritionist and Communications Lead at Plant-Based Health Professionals UK (PBHP) tells Plant Based News (PBN) that many ultra-processed foods (UPFs) combine fat, sugar, salt, and artificial flavors, eschewing fiber and nutrients.

“They are considered hyper-palatable: this means they are irresistible, easy to overconsume, and are capable of hijacking the brain’s reward system thus provoking powerful cravings,” explains Bajekal. “This can lead to overconsumption.”

There is a growing body of evidence indicating that UPF overconsumption increases the risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, mental health issues, cancers, and poor gut health. However, the phrase “ultra-processed” is very general, encompassing many different foods with varying nutritional values, degrees of processing, and perceived healthfulness.

Some UPFs are best described as “food-like substances,” a phrase used by Bajekal for items with almost no nutritional value at all, but for other foods, processing can improve nutrient density. For example, cooked, canned, and concentrated tomatoes typically contain more bioavailable lycopene, a “powerful antioxidant” with confirmed anti-cancer properties.

Fermentation, which can also be considered a form of food processing, adds nutritional value to the base ingredients, as in tempeh. Meanwhile, freezer technology enables the year-round storage and consumption of nutritious foods. RFK has been particularly critical of pasteurization, but the pasteurization process kills harmful bacteria in food and drinks like milk, juice, beer, and canned foods, aiding human health and saving countless lives.

“Not all processed foods are created equal,” notes Bajekal. “Canning, cooking, freezing, fermenting, and drying are all processing methods. There are usually both positive and negative implications for nutrition as a result of them.”

Read more: New ‘Ultra-Processed’ Guide Answers All Your Questions On UPFs

Processed foods play an ‘important role’ in many people’s diets

RFK Jr has specifically targeted processed cereals, and said that “kids shouldn’t be eating grains.” But while excessive consumption of refined grain does come with potential health risks, many Americans also rely on fortified cereals to mitigate nutrient deficiencies – a pressing issue for most of the population.

“Processed foods play an important role in many people’s diets. This may be due to time, cost, cooking ability or access, health issues, or any unique nutritional needs,” explains Bajekal. “They can also help certain groups of people such as children or older adults meet their nutritional needs.”

“Some processed foods make eating more enjoyable, convenient, and easier to meet my nutrient needs,” adds Bajekal. She tells PBN that some of her go-to processed foods included fortified plant milks, yogurts, and calcium-set tofu.

Plant-based products like these are some of the most criticized UPFs of all, but studies indicate that even processed options are typically healthier and more sustainable than meat and dairy. Bajekal says that negative narratives around plant foods are used as “an excuse” to promote animal-based foods as “natural,” or “unprocessed.”

Processed animal products and negative health outcomes

In addition to grains, RFK Jr has criticized seed oils, which he says kids should also not eat. He has said that the broader move away from traditional animal fats like beef tallow towards vegetable oils is responsible for rising obesity rates nationwide.

“There is no evidence to reflect this,” said Bajekal. “In fact, the data shows that seed oils or many vegetable oils can benefit human health.”

Plant-based oils are certainly thought to be better for heart health than tallow and dairy butter, and a major 20-year review from earlier this year found that eating a plant-based diet was “significantly associated” with better health markers.

A recent deep dive into RFK Jr’s claims about the benefits of tallow by The Atlantic noted that a national shift from saturated to polyunsaturated fats in the middle of the 20th century was followed by a 56 percent reduction in heart disease deaths. Longstanding medical advice suggests limiting the consumption of saturated animal fats to lower obesity risk and cardiovascular disease risk.

It’s worth noting here that certain highly processed animal-based foods are strongly linked to negative health outcomes but have not been specifically addressed by RFK Jr. For example, bacon, ham, hot dogs, and salami are all group 1 carcinogens, meaning they are known to cause cancer. Red meat is linked to colorectal cancer and diabetes, while dairy products are a major source of salt and saturated fat. (The average American eats approximately 42 pounds of cheese per year.)

‘Make America healthy again’

RFK Jr’s criticism of UPFs undoubtedly reflects the concerns of many medical professionals and American citizens. However, his comments repeatedly fail to acknowledge the need for more scientific research in this area, the complexity of the subject, countless intersecting socioeconomic factors, and the specific role of animal products – both processed and unprocessed – in negative health outcomes.

RFK Jr’s promotion of animal ingredients in place of plant-based ones also does not take into account the way animal agriculture negatively impacts the environment, the climate crisis, and human health, or how all of those outcomes are interlinked.

There is currently a multi-state bird flu outbreak amongst dairy cows in the US. Earlier this year, Robert Redfield, the former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that bird flu is “very likely” to be the next human pandemic. While RFK Jr has been extremely critical of the CDC, he has yet to comment on the role of animal farming in contemporary health crises.

Approximately 99 percent of all animals raised for food in the US are factory-farmed. The cramped, inhumane conditions of factory farming increase zoonotic disease risk, while the industry’s overuse of antibiotics further undermines public health, causing illness and death. While the impact of processed foods requires immediate further investigation, the role of animal products and factory farming in public health also demands the fullest consideration from the US government’s Department of Health and Human Services, whoever the Secretary of Health may be.

Read more: Plant-Based Diets Nearly 20% Cheaper Than Standard American Diet, Research Finds

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

Read more: New Study Suggests Popular Artificial Sweetener Could Increase Heart Disease Risk

Researchers from Fraunhofer IME are partnering with metaX Institut für Diätetik GmbH and Stuttgart-based Candidum GmbH for the joint research project, titled “NovelSweets.”

They note that sweet-tasting proteins (SPs) occur naturally in certain plants. The structure of SPs means that they bond “very readily” to the tongue’s receptors and are perceived by humans as sweet, making them ideal, nutritious replacements for sugar.

The collaborators aim to use biotechnology to support Germany’s Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) in its goal of reducing sugar in ready-made food and drinks, thereby counteracting the rising number of health issues thought to be linked to the national diet.

Read more: Company Launches Sustainable Cocoa-Free Chocolate

Replacing conventional sugars with ‘sweet-tasting proteins’

Fraunhofer IME, metaX Institut für Diätetik, and Candidum note that one of the best-known sweet proteins is brazzein, extracted from the African plant Pentadiplandra Brazzeana. 

Extracting it on a commercial scale would be inefficient and costly, but the collaborators hope to use biotechnology to produce protein varieties based on brazzein’s protein sequence. New varieties could also achieve a “better sensory experience” in terms of flavor and texture.

Improved proteins are created using precision fermentation, including one variety the team has named “X3.” A single gram of X3 is 10,000 times sweeter than table sugar, and four times sweeter than natural brazzein, meaning just a few grams can replace a lot of sugar.

NovelSweets is just one of several projects exploring the replacement of conventional sugars with SPs. In August, startup Shiru and ingredients giant Ajinomoto announced a partnership to find, develop, and commercialize sweet proteins via the AI-driven “Flourish” platform.

California-based Oobli received acknowledgment that its precision-fermented “brazzein-53” was GRAS (generally recognized as safe) earlier this year, allowing the company to expand internationally. Brazzein-53 was the first sweet protein to receive a “no questions” letter.

Read more: Is Sugar Vegan? The Ongoing Debate Explained

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

Read more: Would Changing Vegan Labels Help Meat-Eaters Choose Plant Foods?

Researchers from the University of Vaasa in Finland recruited 3,600 participants from four European countries. The participants evaluated fictitious consumers based on three shopping lists containing varying combinations of meat products and plant-based alternatives. The researchers compared the participants’ “stereotypical beliefs, emotional responses, and behavioral treatment tendencies” of shoppers based on their purchases.

The meat shoppers were seen as less moral, health-conscious, and environmental than plant-based shoppers, and provoked less envy and admiration. But participants felt more fear, anger, and contempt towards plant-based shoppers, and were more inclined to think about actively harming them, such as by insulting or bullying them.

Need for status and affiliation

The researchers used a framework call BIAS map, which is designed to understand the social prejudices and perceptual biases of specific groups of people. It works by applying a “shared cultural perspective,” reflecting how most people in a society perceive the target group – in this case, plant-based eaters and flexitarians.

Read more: Meat-Eaters Prefer Not To See Animals On Meat Labels, Research Finds

The researchers analyzed the participants’ need for status and group affiliation to explain their reactions. They found that the greater need for status caused stronger feelings of envy and anger towards plant-based shoppers. The need for group affiliation made participants see flexible shoppers as more socially acceptable, lowering levels of contempt, anger, and inclination to harm.

The researchers suggest that people who covet status are “highly sensitive” to societal norms, i.e. meat-eating, and as a result see plant-based diets as “symbolically threatening.” They may also be “painfully aware” that lowering meat consumption is an “ideal” solution to environmental crises. “This realization could then explain their envious response toward” plant-based eaters, “whose behaviors cannot be copied without some degree of self-sacrifice,” the researchers suggest.

The research adds to the evidence that meat-eaters react negatively to plant-based eaters to protect their identity and choices. A recent Danish study found that even when people knew eating less meat would reduce their climate footprint, they came up with several justifications for not doing so. Among these was shifting the focus to perceived bad habits of vegans, such as eating avocados, and ridiculing vegans.

Read more: Over A Quarter of British Households Plan To Prioritize Plant-Based Food This Christmas

This article was written by Claire Hamlett on the PBN Website.