News
The number of news found: 13.
07/30/2018 WORLD RACE CAR CHAMP URGES 7 MILLION FANS TO GO VEGAN
Vegan race car champion Lewis Hamilton, the 2017 Formula One World Champion, recently urged his 7 million social media fans to go vegan. After securing his win at the German Grand Prix, Hamilton shared an Instagram story with a moving animal-rights message. "619 million humans have been killed through wars in our entire recorded history. Humans kill the same number of animals every five days," Hamilton wrote beneath an image of a cow. "Guys, I'm on a plant-based diet and have been for a year now. Please find it in your heart to not support this horrific cruelty and go plant-based." Hamilton transitioned to a plant-based diet last year after watching vegan documentary What the Health, and credits his new lifestyle for helping him win multiple races on his quest to defend his Formula One World Champion title in 2018. (vegnews.com)
07/27/2018 MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR SIGNS PLANT-BASED PROCLAMATION
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey signed a proclamation last week urging citizens to eat plant-based foods. The withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement prompted the mayor to issue the document in an effort to promote environmentally friendly eating habits. "If each American affirmatively chose to eat plant-based food at just one meal per week," the proclamation stated, "the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off US roads." The mayor further urged citizens to "make an effort to eat plant-based food and choose plant-based products in furtherance of our environmental goals, and celebrate our ongoing commitment to exceed the standards put forth in the Paris Agreement by doing our part right here in Minneapolis." A study published in March in scientific journal Environmental Research Letters found that individuals that consume beef are responsible for 46 percent of all US greenhouse-gas emissions. (vegnews.com)
07/25/2018 70 PERCENT OF BC FISH SLAUGHTERHOUSES VIOLATE ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS
A majority of fish slaughterhouses in British Columbia (BC) fail to comply with environmental regulations, according to a new audit conducted by the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. In 2017, photographer Tavish Campbell shot underwater footage of what appears to be a pipe releasing toxic red waste into otherwise clear water near a BC fish slaughterhouse. Campbell's discovery prompted the ministry to conduct an audit of 30 such facilities, leading to findings that 70 percent of fish slaughterhouses failed to adhere to environmental regulations. To understand the contents of the waste and their effect on wild fish populations, Campbell collected samples of the red water, which tested positive for pathogens, including piscine reovirus (PRV)—a disease that can decimate wild salmon populations. Leading ocean research facility BC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences stated that Campbell’s findings required further investigation. "If we wait until there is 100 percent scientific certainty that PRV causes harm to wild salmon," Campbell said, "it will be too late for wild salmon." In addition to polluting waterways, fish factory farms spew toxic nitrous oxide into the air, which can result in serious illness for local residents. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency fined Alaska fish-processing facility Westward Seafoods $3.2 million for repeatedly violating the Clean Air Act by releasing 105 tons of nitrous oxide. (vegnews.com)
07/23/2018 FISHING, NOT PLASTIC STRAWS, IS DESTROYING THE OCEAN
New research gathered by a group of scientists associated with Ocean Cleanup, a group developing technologies to reduce ocean plastic, determined that fishing nets are a leading cause of plastic pollution in the ocean. Researchers surveyed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP)—a major ocean plastic accumulation zone found in waters between California and Hawaii—taking a total of 652 surface net samples, and concluded that at least 46 percent of the GPGP plastic was comprised of fishing nets. Other fishing gear such as crates, oyster spacers, ropes, and eel trap cones also make up a smaller percentage of the plastic surveyed. Meanwhile, Australian scientists Denise Hardesty and Chris Wilcox estimate that plastic straws make up only .03 percent of the 8 million metric tons of plastic in the ocean. In 2016, the World Wildlife Fund warned that global fish populations may completely collapse by 2048 if current fishing practices aren’t addressed. (vegnews.com)
07/20/2018 ABUSE EXPOSED AT SUPPLIER FOR WORLD'S LARGEST MEAT COMPANY
Animal rights organization Mercy For Animals (MFA) released this week new undercover video it recorded at Tosh Farms, a pork supplier for JBS—the world's largest meat company—exposing malicious and systemic abuse of mother pigs and piglets. Footage gathered at the Kentucky-based facility revealed workers kicking, punching, and striking animals in their faces, mother pigs confined for nearly their entire lives to metal cages so small the animals cannot turn around or lie down comfortably, and workers ripping out the testicles of piglets without any pain relief and smashing their heads against the ground to kill them. MFA is now calling on JBS to end the worst forms of factory-farm cruelty throughout all of its global pork supply chains, including eliminating painful mutilations of animals and prohibiting its suppliers from using gestation crates. (vegenews.com)
07/18/2018 PLANT-BASED PRODUCT CLAIMS SPIKE BY 62 PERCENT IN FOUR YEARS
A new report compiled by market research firm Innova Market Insights found that plant-based product claims increased by 62 percent worldwide between 2013 and 2017. Products such as plant-based proteins, active botanicals, sweeteners, seasonings, and food colorings were cited as key contributors to this rise. The report also noted that dairy alternative drinks and meat substitutes are influential players in the plant-based claims market. According to Innova, the rising popularity of animal-free lifestyles has resulted in plant-based product development increasing by a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11 percent from 2013 to 2017. A number of market research firms have made strong growth predictions for various individual segments of the plant-based industry, including tempeh, which Persistence Market Research expects to reach a value of $5.8 billion by 2026 with a "robust" CAGR of 6.1 percent. (vegnews.com)
07/16/2018 SCOTLAND'S NATIONAL SOCCER STADIUM TO ADD VEGAN MENU
Glasgow-based Hampden Park—Scotland's National soccer stadium—will soon introduce a vegan food menu. The stadium partnered with organization Vegan Events UK to host a Scotland Vegan Festival on July 14. Craig Younger, the general manager of the stadium's food service company Sodexo Sports & Leisure, hopes the festival will help inspire the vegan menu he plans to permanently offer at the stadium. "With plans to launch our own vegan menu later this year," Younger said, "I'm sure the day will also provide some great inspiration." The festival featured 100 vendors selling vegan fare, cooking demonstrations, and activities for children. "We want to show non-vegans how incredibly amazing living a vegan lifestyle is and show that it is not only healthy, varied, and exciting but that it is also practical, easy, and affordable as well," Vegan Events UK manager Victoria Bryceson said. (vegnews.com)
07/13/2018 ELECTRICITY COMPANY OBTAINS VEGAN CERTIFICATION
British "vegan" energy company Ecotricity recently obtained vegan certification by the Vegan Society. Ecotricity's competitors market themselves as "clean energy" companies but source energy from the anaerobic digestion process of animals by heating manure supplied by the animal-agriculture industry to produce methane that is turned into electricity by fuel generators. "We need clear labeling of energy sourcing so that people can make informed choices," Ecotricity CEO Dale Vince said. The company—which assures that no animal byproducts are used to create its electricity—currently offers wind and solar energy and is working to develop "sea power," electricity harvested from the oscillation of waves and ocean currents. Vince is also the owner of English soccer team Forest Green Rovers and removed all animal products from the team's New Lawn stadium in 2015. (vegnews.com)
07/11/2018 LEONARDO DICAPRIO INVESTS IN VEGAN BRAND CALIFIA FARMS
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio recently invested an undisclosed amount in vegan brand Califia Farms. The company raised $50 million in new capital last week to expand its production capabilities and promote new plant-based products such as its probiotic drinkable yogurt line. While DiCaprio has not confirmed that he is vegan, in recent years he has used his fame to bring awareness to environmental issues caused by factory farming. Last year, the actor disclosed his investment in vegan brand Beyond Meat and expressed that his aim in supporting the business was inspired by the negative environmental impacts of animal agriculture. "Livestock production is a major contributor to carbon emissions," DiCaprio said. "Shifting from animal meat to the plant-based meats developed by Beyond Meat is one of the most powerful measures someone can take to reduce their impact on our climate." (vegnews.com)
07/09/2018 AIR NEW ZEALAND ADDS IMPOSSIBLE BURGER TO IN-FLIGHT MENU
The Impossible Burger made its New Zealand debut last week on the in-flight menu of popular airline Air New Zealand—representing the first time the plant-based patty has been available on-board an aircraft. The burger is served with two Impossible Burger patties topped with lettuce, tomato, and a non-vegan tomatillo crema, in business class on flights from Los Angeles to Auckland. "We're confident vegetarians, flexitarians, and dedicated meat-lovers alike will enjoy the delicious taste of the Impossible Burger," Niki Chave, Air New Zealand in-flight customer experience manager, told local media outlet New Zealand Herald. The Impossible Burger debuted in 2016 at select upscale restaurants in the United States and has since expanded its reach to nearly 2,500 points of distribution in the United States. Competing brand Beyond Meat's vegan Beyond Burger will enter the Canadian market this week by way of 925 locations of fast-food chain A&W Canada and will debut in the United Kingdom next month at 350 outlets of supermarket Tesco. (vegnews.com)
07/06/2018 JACK DANIEL'S ENDS 15-YEAR-SPONSORSHIP OF CRUEL DOG RACE
Alcohol company Jack Daniel’s confirmed last month that it would end its sponsorship of dog-sled race Iditarod after 15 years. The decision to withdraw its sponsorship came after animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) organized numerous protests outside of the whiskey-maker's offices in Tennessee. To celebrate the victory, PETA has sent dog-paw-shaped vegan chocolates to the Jack Daniel's offices and distributed bottles of its whiskey among its own offices in Virginia, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles. Several sponsors of the race, in which at least 150 dogs have died since it launched in Alaska in 1973, have pulled out in recent years—including Costco, Nestle, Pizza Hut, and Wells Fargo—and PETA is now calling on Coca-Cola to do the same. (vegnews.com)
07/05/2018 OREGON SHUTS DOWN ITS SECOND-LARGEST DAIRY FARM
The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) recently revoked the operating permit of Lost Valley Farms (LVF)—the state's second-largest dairy operation—due to a number of continued violations including its inability to manage animal waste. LVF owner Greg Te Velde failed to comply with a court order to remedy a number of environmental violations, including LVR's contamination of legally protected groundwater with manure that he allowed to seep into the soil from the thousands of cows exploited by the mega dairy. Furthermore, Tillamook County Creamery Association—which purchases milk from LVR to make cheese—plans to cancel its contract with LVF and reported that the milk it sourced from the farm contained an unacceptable amount of bacteria during 60 tests it conducted over the course of one year. Prior to the opening of the mega in 2017, Morrow County officials penned a concerned letter to the ODA describing the potential human health and environmental disaster that could ensue once LVF began operations, stating, "The County Court respectfully asks that the ODA, through issuance of this permit, not harm water reserves, increase groundwater contamination, or negatively impact agricultural production." (vegnews.com)
07/02/2018 MAX BURGER "ENDS THE BEEF" WITH MEATLESS EMOJIS
Popular Swedish fast-food chain Max Burgers recently debuted seven meatless burger emojis—now available through Apple App Store and Google Play—that mimic its vegetarian menu items. Last year, Google released a burger emoji that sparked online debate due to the placement of its cheese beneath the patty. Max Burger CEO Richard Bergfors explained that the meat in Google's emoji should be the topic of debate instead. "There is not a lack of great tasting green burgers or vegetarian food, but there is a lack of green options among emoji burgers," Bergfors said. "Since emojis in general embrace diversity in many ways, we want to contribute and let everyone have the opportunity to choose green burgers when sending messages." In addition to promoting meatless eating, the chain recently announced that it would debut coconut milk-based milkshakes to its 119 locations this fall, with plans to eventually replace all of its dairy-based milkshakes with the vegan formula to further reduce its environmental footprint. (vegnews.com)
The number of news found: 13.
