UK farming roadmap backs lentils; ApoB testing outperforms LDL

UK Farming Roadmap 2050

A government document that names lentils as the future of British farming would have read like satire a decade ago.

DEFRA published The Farming Roadmap 2050 on June 24, calling on English farmers to explore "opportunities to diversify into lower emission farming systems where appropriate" and citing "growing oilseeds and pulses," including lentils, as examples [52]. Growing demand for plant-based foods is framed as the economic rationale. Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds and Minister Stephen Morgan described the ambition as "profitable farms... that help restore nature and meet our climate goals" [52]. The document comes with no new funding: Sustain praised the direction while flagging delivery gaps; the NFU pushed back on the lack of specifics; cattle farmers said their land simply will not grow pulses [52]. A roadmap is not a policy. But institutional language about lentils replacing livestock is new.

• June 24, 2026date DEFRA published the document [52]
• 0new funding commitments attached to the diversification proposals [52]
• 2050the roadmap's target horizon for English farming [52]

FromPlant Based News

ApoB vs. LDL Cholesterol Testing

Millions of Americans get the same cholesterol test every year, and a JAMA study now argues it is steering some of them toward the wrong treatment.

Northwestern University researchers published a cost-effectiveness analysis in JAMA comparing three cholesterol-testing strategies across a lifetime simulation of 250,000 U.S. adults [8]. ApoB, which counts the total number of harmful cholesterol-carrying particles rather than their aggregate volume, outperformed LDL and non-HDL testing in preventing cardiovascular events and did so at a cost the researchers judged favorable for healthcare payers [8]. The authors call it the first comprehensive analysis linking apoB guidance to cost-effectiveness, not just clinical outcomes [8]. Plant-based diets reliably lower LDL; if apoB becomes the standard measure, the evidence base for those diets' cardiovascular benefit gains a sharper yardstick for future trials.

• 250,000simulated U.S. adults tracked over a lifetime in the model [8]
• 3strategies compared: LDL goal <100 mg/dL, non-HDL <118 mg/dL, apoB <78.7 mg/dL [8]

Solid"apoB testing to intensify cholesterol-lowering medication would prevent more heart attacks and strokes than current practice, and that these health benefits were achieved at a cost that represents good value for U.S. healthcare payers" (Ciaran Kohli-Lynch, Northwestern University) [8]. Published in JAMA 2026, DOI 10.1001/jama.2026.2986; computer simulation of 250,000 adults. Simulation models require assumptions about uptake and real-world costs; adoption depends on guideline revision.

FromVegetarian News -- ScienceDaily

Thaûma Plant-Protein Sweetener Launch

The most potent natural sweetener on record now grows in crop plants in southern Spain, not in West African jungle.

Nambawan Spain, spun off from German biotech Nomad Bioscience in 2023, launched Thaûma: a thaumatin II sweetener produced by engineering crop plants to express the protein, rather than extracting it from its native West African katemfe fruit [28]. The company states it is 13,600 times sweeter than sugar and effective at just 1 to 5 parts per million, between 75 and 230 times lower than stevia or monk fruit [28]. Five FDA GRAS approvals and a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee certification are confirmed [28]. The regulatory record is solid. The environmental figures need independent verification before anyone treats them as settled.

• 13,600xsweeter than sugar, per Nambawan Spain [28]
• 1-5 parts per millioneffective use rate, compared to roughly 300-500 ppm for stevia [28]
• 1 tonneof Thaûma stated to replace 10,000 tonnes of sugar [28]

Proven"Thaûma is supported by five Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) approvals by the US Food and Drug Administration and the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association. It's also been certified by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives." (Nambawan Spain) [28]. FDA GRAS and JECFA designation are official public records.

Company claim"requires 95% less land and water than sugar, and generates 95% fewer emissions per unit of sweetness" (Nambawan Spain) [28]. The company's own unaudited figure; no independent lifecycle analysis found. Given use rates of 1-5 ppm, significantly lower land demand is plausible, but the specific 95% figures are unverified.

FromGreen Queen