The Stories: the day’s biggest developments, in the sources’ own words
01▲InnovationStory
Japan funds alt-protein "new foods" with $6.2 billion through 2040
Photo: plant based news
By the numbers
$6.2 billionearmarked for "new foods," functional, nutritious, non-animal-derived options like alt-protein, inside Japan's $2.3 trillion, 17-sector growth plan through 2040 [144]
$60 billiontotal across the four food-tech-related sectors of those 17 [144]
WatchJapan's Council for Japan's Growth Strategy finalizes sector-by-sector budgets before the roadmap takes effect; cultivated meat is notably absent from today's draft [144].
FromPlant Based News
02▬Activism & AnimalsStory
Marineland ships six belugas to US aquariums with health undisclosed
Photo: animal justice
“Marineland has never been honest with the public about the health of these sensitive, highly intelligent animals, and that pattern of secrecy hasn't changed now that a handful of whales are finally being moved out.”
Camille Labchuk, executive director of Animal Justice · [131]
By the numbers
28of Marineland's whales were approved for emergency US transfer, though their health status has not been disclosed [131]
3 of 5belugas Marineland exported to Mystic Aquarium in 2021 later died, after the facility found pre-existing health conditions [131]
Company claim"partners in this 'rescue'" (Shedd Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium, SeaWorld, and Oceanogràfic València, as characterized by Animal Justice) [131]. No independent health assessment or no-breeding guarantee has been confirmed for the whales being moved.
WatchWhether Canada secures a public no-breeding guarantee for the exported belugas, which Animal Justice says Canadian law already requires [131].
FromAnimal Justice
03▼Law & PolicyStory
Friends of the Earth finds gene-edited farm animals outpaced US safety review
Photo: vegconomist
“Genetically engineering animals to survive factory farm conditions is not innovation, it's a step backward.”
Dana Perls, Senior Program Manager at Friends of the Earth · [111]
“We need to transform our food system, not engineer animals to endure its failures.”
Kendra Klein, Deputy Director of Science at Friends of the Earth · [111]
By the numbers
3genetically engineered animals were FDA-cleared for the US food supply between 2020 and 2025: heat-tolerant cattle and pigs engineered for disease resistance or reduced allergenicity [111]
Fromvegconomist the vegan business magazine
04▲Wins & CultureStory
Survey finds most US meat-eaters open to swapping meat for beans
Photo: vegconomist
By the numbers
57%of surveyed US meat-eaters said they'd replace meat with beans at least once a week [114]
62%said they're open to reducing their meat consumption overall [114]
95%of all adults surveyed said they already eat beans [114]
Fromvegconomist the vegan business magazine
Worth Knowing
Food & Recipes
The Mile-High, Double-Cheese Vegan Lasagna with macadamia ricotta and a cashew cheese sauce is a real Sunday-dinner project worth the oven time [82].
Physicians Committee founder Neal Barnard called Erling Haaland's cow-heart-and-raw-milk diet "dirty fuel," even as rivals like Chris Smalling go plant-based [83].
The UK Green Party is weighing a proposal to legally require vegan food options in restaurants and schools under the Equality Act [90].
Research & Nutrition
Vegetarians show 13% lower total cancer risk and vegans 23% lower, per a new meta-analysis of prospective studies [9].
Plant-based diets rich in healthful foods tied to 21% lower dementia risk across a meta-analysis of five cohorts and 207,981 people; unhealthful plant-based diets raised risk 24% [17].
Innovation
The EU approved inulin-propionate ester, a fibre additive that triggers the body's natural GLP-1 response without a jab, for use in everyday foods [106].
Italy's Foreverland launched a no-added-sugar, high-fiber line of its cocoa-free Choruba chocolate as cocoa prices keep climbing [107].
India's 10-year bioeconomy roadmap targets a $2.6 trillion market by 2047, with smart proteins, plant, microbial, and cell-cultured, central to its "BioX Foundry" mission [108].
The EU put €5.7 million into Alganova, a project turning marine waste and industrial CO2 into microalgae protein [109].
Rude Health's chilled oat and almond drinks with calcium landed in Asda, completing coverage of all four of the UK's largest grocers [112].
Precision-fermentation colorant startup Michroma closed a $6.4 million seed round, oversubscribed past its $5 million target [113].
Wins & Culture
A new UK research project is testing whether beans, peas, and lentils in crop rotations can help save climate-battered British farming [143].
June's heatwave killed up to three million broiler chickens in France alone, prompting Welfarm's call to overhaul farming and transport practices [145].
Law & Policy
Animal Justice pressed its case in Quebec Superior Court to keep alive its fur-farm lawsuit, built on the province's own files admitting the abuse; a ruling on Quebec's motion to dismiss is still pending [132].
One Good Thing
In the Brazilian Amazon town of Alta Floresta, eight rope bridges strung above a highway have logged 15,000 safe animal crossings in fifteen months, with zero roadkill recorded since they went up. Spider monkeys, howler monkeys, and the critically endangered Alta Floresta titi monkey, described only in 2019, now cross overhead instead of on the pavement, and Brazil's federal transport department just made the design the national standard for highways. Biologist Fernanda Abra, who built the program after years of counting dead primates on Brazilian roads, is now bringing it to Suriname [117].
This vegan take on a Chinese takeaway classic is tasty, nutritious and easy to make. With tender tofu, chunky veggies and a rich black bean sauce, this Chinese-inspired dish is…
Animal Justice
vegconomist the vegan business magazine