Most people care about farm animals — our food system doesn't reflect that Surveys worldwide show that most people find common animal farming practices unacceptable, even where meat consumption is high.

People care about #animals, but the #foodsystem makes animal products cheap & convenient while hiding their welfare costs. To close the gap between the system & our values, #plantbased alternatives & cultivated #meat must become cheaper, tastier & widely available: ourworldindata.org/most-people-...

Negative health effects of sugar-sweetened beverages are well established. Taxes on sugary drinks are effective instruments for reducing their consumption and represent a demonstrably effective preventive measure: zenodo-org.translate.goog/records/1964... #Sugar #Taxation #SugarTax #Health #Obesity

The most damaging farm products? Organic, pasture-fed beef and lamb Analysis: You may be amazed by that answer, but the area of land used for grazing is vast compared with the meat and milk produced

As to grass-fed: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Same result from two reviews: "our review refutes the idea that local food is inherently good" doi.org/10.1016/j.ag... + "'Local food' cannot simply be equated with 'sustainable food'" doi.org/10.1007/s411... + "mandatory [sustainability] labelling… would be a better option" doi.org/10.1016/B978...

You want to reduce the carbon footprint of your food? Focus on what you eat, not whether your food is local “Eat local” is a common recommendation to reduce your diet's carbon footprint. How does the impact of what you eat compare to where it comes from?

Especially beef & dairy are not sustainable: ourworldindata.org/food-choice-...

More Than Food Miles: Rethinking How We Measure Sustainable Food Systems Choi, Jungman; Schaefer, K. Aleks

#FoodMiles: Transportation accounts for a small fraction of food system #emissions, most arise from production & processing. Plus, #LocalFood systems do not always guarantee environmental or economic efficiency, esp. where growing conditions are suboptimal: doi.org/10.22004/ag.... #Sustainability

Enhancing a plant-based diet can reduce the risk of multimorbidity in older adults - BMC Geriatrics BMC Geriatrics - Multimorbidity has become widespread among older adults, and it is influenced by diet. However, research has yet to systematically explore the association of the overall...

Healthy plant-based diets were linked to lower multimorbidity (i.e. at least two chronic diseases within an individual), in a study of 7,500 older adults. These findings provide empirical support for public policy-making to increase the intake of healthy plant-based foods: doi.org/10.1186/s128...

The effect of increasing availability of vegetarian meals on their sales in worksite cafeterias: a stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial - International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity - Reducing meat consumption is critical for planetary health and could benefit public health. Restructuring food environments...

Also in worksite cafeterias: Increasing the availability of vegetarian meals can significantly shift food choices and reduce environment impact and calories consumed, without compromising business outcomes: doi.org/10.1186/s129... #Vegetarian #Canteens #Catering #FoodServices #Sustainability #Health

Plant‐Based Diet Quality and Gastric Cancer Risk: A Case–Control Study in High‐Risk Regions of Fujian Province, China This graphical abstract summarizes a sex-matched case–control study conducted in high-risk regions of Fujian Province, China, including 336 newly diagnosed gastric cancer cases and 336 community cont...

#Cancer prevention has been broadly linked to plant-based #diets. Now a new study found that greater adherence to healthy #plantbased diets was also linked lower risk of #GastricCancer, suggesting that higher-quality plant-based diets may help prevent gastric cancer: doi.org/10.1002/fsn3... #health

Gene-edited banana approved in Japan and Brazil Tropic's non-browning variety can now be imported, sold, and consumed in both countries, and grown in Brazil

A non-browning #Banana has been approved in over 10 countries, representing 70% of global production and 30% of the consumer market; it extends shelf-life and can reduce #FoodWaste. A variety resistant to Panama Disease is in the making: www.fruitnet.com/fruitnet/gen... #PlantBreeding #GeneEditing

Frontiers | The hidden costs of Dutch dietary choices: quantifying the health and environmental costs attributable to suboptimal diets BackgroundNational dietary guidelines can help in promoting healthier and more sustainable dietary patterns. Although the potential benefits of adherence are...

Low adherence to dietary guidelines in the #Netherlands is linked to €410 m in #productivity losses, €0.9-1.8 billion #health related costs, and €3 billion in #environment costs per year. Dutch guidelines promote a transition to more #plantbased and less animal-based diets: doi.org/10.3389/fnut...

Mortality risk in relation to diet quality assessed by the 2023 nutri-score nutrient profiling model: a prospective analysis - European Journal of Nutrition Background The updated Nutri-Score nutrient profiling model (uNS-NPM), revised in 2023, aims to better align with dietary guidelines and improve health outcomes prediction. However, evidence assessing its validity and applicability remains limited, particularly in Spanish populations. Objective To investigate the prospective association between diet quality, assessed using the uNS-NPM dietary index (DI), and the risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in older adults at high cardiovascular risk. Methods A prospective analysis within the PREDIMED cohort, with 7,212 participants aged 55–80 years at high cardiovascular risk was conducted. Diet was assessed by validated food frequency questionnaires, and the uNS-NPM DI was computed to quantify overall dietary quality. Time-dependent Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all-cause, cardiovascular, cancer, and other-cause mortality across quintiles of the average cumulative uNS-NPM DI, adjusting for relevant confounders. Results Over a median follow-up of 6 years, 425 deaths occurred (103 cardiovascular, 169 cancers, 153 other causes). Participants in the highest quintile of the uNS-NPM DI (reflecting poorer diet quality) had a higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.19–2.28; p-trend = 0.007) and a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality (HR: 3.21; 95% CI: 1.29–7.95; p-trend = 0.002) compared to those participants in the lowest quintile. Participants in the highest quintile of uNS-NPM DI had also an increased risk of death from other causes (HR: 1.84; 95% CI: 1.11–3.07), although the trend was not statistically significant p-trend = 169). For cancer mortality, no significant association was observed (HR for highest vs. lowest quintile: 1.16; 95% CI: 0.69–1.92 p-trend = 0.695). Conclusions In this Mediterranean cohort of older adults at high cardiovascular risk, lower dietary quality, assessed with the uNS-NPM DI, was prospectively associated with higher risks of all-cause, cardiovascular, and other-cause mortality. These findings support the uNS-NPM DI as a valuable tool for diet quality assessment.

Lower dietary quality, as assessed by the updated #NutriScore model, was linked with higher all-cause mortality—in a cohort study with 7000 older participants at cardiovascular risk. Nutri-Score can be used as tool for diet quality assessment: doi.org/10.1007/s003... #Health #Nutrition #Labeling

A #review of large-scale epidemiological studies & randomised controlled trials indicates that adherence to healthy (i.e. primarily #plantbased) diets could improve cognitive function and lower #dementia risk—and reduce the substantial economic & human cost of dementia: doi.org/10.1017/S002...

According to this study, promoting plant-based alternatives and reducing animal-based protein sources in institutional menus can support both environmental sustainability and public health objectives.

#Environment #Carbon #Footprint #Meat #Fish #Vegan #PlantBased #Nutrition #Sustainability #Health

Assessing the Carbon Footprint of Meals: A Case Study from a Portuguese College Canteen Institutional food services, such as school canteens, significantly contribute to the environmental impact of food systems due to the high volume of meals served and their influence on dietary habits, particularly among younger populations. This study assessed the...

In a case study of a college canteen in Portugal, meat-based dishes had the highest carbon footprint, followed by fish/seafood—whereas vegan dishes exhibited the lowest environmental impact. The animal-based dishes were also the least balanced in terms of macronutrients… doi.org/10.1007/978-... >>

Lower #obesity prevalence and reduced risk of obesity & related morbidities are linked to greater adherence to the largely plant-based EAT-Lancet diet, according to a prospective cohort study of 170k participants and a 12-year follow-up: doi.org/10.1111/dom.... #PlantBased #Diets #Nutrition #Health

But yes, also German media cherry-picked that study to run pro-meat headlines. It's "curious" they ignored the other three papers that came out since then (or the studies that had come before)...

Sorry, "your" was just to save space... That study suggested that that APOE subgroup might benefit more from vitamin B12 in meat, which - if I understand it right - means that "meat" might be just a proxy for vitamin B12 absorption, so fortification & supplementation might provide the same benefit.

… and lower dementia risk - and found that the APOE question is not clear (doi.org/10.1017/S002...). So to me it seems that the general link between plant-based diets and lower dementia risk is consensus in the literature, but whether this differs for the APOE subgroup is not clear yet.

… confirmed the link between plant-based diets and lower dementia risk (doi.org/10.1002/alz....), and yet another study did the same - but also underlined that it did not find a difference for the APOE subgroup (doi.org/10.1212/WNL....). And a new review confirmed the link between plant-based diets…

That study found the same: Plant-based diets reduce dementia risk - except for the APOE subgroup of the population. But that latter point is still unclear. "Your" study found just a correlation, and came up with tentative possible mechanisms, so no clear causality. In the meantime, another study…

A new study with 45k participants finds that greater adherence to a healthful #plantbased diet is linked to a reduced risk of #Alzheimers disease & related #dementia. Improving the quality of plant-based #diets, even later in life, can be a strategy for dementia prevention: doi.org/10.1212/WNL....

Fipronil Waterway Pollution Europe Warning Fipronil Waterway Pollution Europe concerns grow as pet flea treatments contaminate rivers, threatening wildlife and drinking water safety.

Routine flea & tick treatments used on millions of pets may be poisoning Europe’s rivers, threatening wildlife and raising questions about drinking water safety. A pesticide considered too dangerous for fields & farmland should not be entering waterways thru pet care: the-european.eu/story-57030/...

Vom Flohmittel ins Fliessgewässer Das Insektizid Fipronil wurde in Schweizer Fliessgewässern in Konzentrationen nachgewiesen, die für Wasserlebewesen kritisch sind. Als Pflanzenschutzmittel darf es seit Jahren nicht mehr eingesetzt we...

Fipronil has been detected also in Swiss rivers & streams at concentrations that are critical for aquatic life. Its use for plant protection has been banned for years. The most likely source of the contamination is flea & tick prevention products for pets: www-eawag-ch.translate.goog/de/info/port...

… the chemicals have been banned in agriculture since 2018.

(It's curious. At the time environmental NGOs were very vociferous about banning #neonicotinoids when used by farmers to protect crops, to produce food. But when it's about their clientele using them on their dogs, they are very quiet.)

Over-the-counter pet flea treatments could be banned under new UK rules Exclusive: ministers consider restricting pesticide-based treatments, which can get into waterways and harm wildlife

Imidacloprid & fipronil are powerful #insecticides used in veterinary products: One monthly flea treatment for a large dog contains enough imidacloprid to kill 25 million bees. They are the source of residues in freshwater samples, because… www.theguardian.com/environment/... >>

From 1961–2020, per-capita food-related GHG emissions in China increased by over 2000 kg CO2e per year. Over 80% of this increase comes from animal-based food, especially red meat; plant-based foods account for a much smaller share: doi.org/10.1016/j.cj... #Emissions #Meat #PlantBased #Diets #China

Greater readiness to reduce meat consumption is associated with lower greenhouse gas emissions - Nature Food Greater readiness to reduce meat consumption was associated with actual decreases in meat intake and associated greenhouse gas emissions among a cohort of French adults, primarily through reduced rumi...

In France, animal foods (esp. #beef, #pork, #poultry) contribute the largest share of diet-related GHG #emissions across all population groups. Also emissions of #meat "reducers" still miss national #climate targets. More profound changes to diets & #foodsystems are needed: doi.org/10.1038/s430...

… but yes: "For the environmental sustainability of food systems many more factors matter than just transportation, not least consumers’ dietary choices" = choosing to eat meat is bad (for climate, environment, health, animal welfare etc.) no matter if it's local or imported.

"… a review… on the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability" finds: “Local food” cannot…be equated with “sustainable food”…" doi.org/10.1007/s411... "Rather than using “local” as a proxy… mandatory [sustainability] labelling… would be a better option…" doi.org/10.1016/B978...