Octopus farm scrapped, All G scales lactoferrin, hotels get a rule
Spain's Nueva Pescanova scrapped its plan for the world's first commercial octopus farm after a global backlash, sparing octopuses bound for barren tanks and an estimated 2.1 billion wild-caught fish a year that would have fed them.
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Spain's Nueva Pescanova scrapped its plan for the world's first commercial octopus farm after a global backlash, sparing octopuses bound for barren tanks and an estimated 2.1 billion wild-caught fish a year that would have fed them. [123]
02
All G began US sales of a precision-fermented, low-iron lactoferrin at multi-tonne scale, which it calls the first apo-lactoferrin available to manufacturers commercially. [105]
03
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council now requires certified hotels and restaurants to make at least 30% of main dishes plant-based, the first such threshold in its six-standard framework. [107]
04
Lindt is being sued in US federal court over claims it misled consumers for decades about child labor in its Ghana and Ivory Coast cocoa supply chain. [134]
05
Salmonella-tainted eggs from a Texas producer sickened 98 people across 17 states, a quarter of them hospitalized, as Midwest Poultry Services recalled 1.5 million shell eggs. [127]
06
UK insurance broker REALLY HONEST will no longer quote for companies that make or sell animal products, a policy its CEO says costs the firm real revenue rather than just marketing points. [108]
The movement today▲Activism & Animals▲Innovation▲Law & PolicyThe receipts →
The Stories: the day’s biggest developments, in the sources’ own words
01▲Activism & AnimalsStory
Nueva Pescanova scraps plans for world's first commercial octopus farm
Photo: peta
“Now, we must build on this momentum by securing an EU-wide ban on octopus farming”
Keri Tietge, Food Systems Project Manager, Eurogroup for Animals · [123]
By the numbers
200,000+emails PETA supporters sent to Gran Canaria officials urging them to reject the octopus farm [120]
2.1 billionfish, including sardines and anchovies, that would have been caught and killed annually to feed the farmed octopuses [120]
WatchEurogroup for Animals says it will now push for an EU-wide ban on octopus farming so no similar project can take hold elsewhere in Europe. [123]
From<strong>Latest</strong> newsPETA
02▲InnovationStory
All G launches multi-tonne, low-iron lactoferrin at US commercial scale
Photo: vegconomist
“Lactoferrin's ability to regulate iron is what drives many of its most valuable benefits.”
Jared Raynes, PhD, chief scientific officer at All G · [105]
By the numbers
under 5%iron saturation for All G's LFX, versus around 20% in typical dairy-derived lactoferrin after processing [105]
60,000-litreproduction scale, running through a contract manufacturer in China [105]
Company claim"the first apo-lactoferrin available to manufacturers at commercial scale" (All G) [105]. That's the company's own description of its market position; no independent audit of the claim is cited.
WatchA second commercial facility, likely in Europe, is under discussion. [105]
Fromvegconomist the vegan business magazine
03▲Law & PolicyStory
Global Sustainable Tourism Council mandates 30% plant-based hotel menus
Photo: vegconomist
“The launch of the GSTC Food and Beverage Standard is a great development for the hospitality and travel industry.”
Nick Cooney, Board Director, Lever Foundation · [107]
By the numbers
30%of main dishes and meal options at GSTC-certified hotels and restaurants must now be plant-based or at least 95% plant-based by weight [107]
2,000+GSTC-certified hotels currently operate across dozens of countries [107]
WatchHotels holding or applying for GSTC certification must assess current menus against the new benchmark ahead of their next certification or recertification review. [107]
Fromvegconomist the vegan business magazine
04▼Law & PolicyStory
Lindt sued in US over decades of alleged child labor in cocoa
Photo: foodnavigator
“Lindt & Sprüngli takes the issue of child labour very seriously and strongly condemns all forms of child labour and denies the allegations in the complaint.”
20+ yearsis how long the complaint alleges Lindt has known its cocoa involves child labor [134]
Company claim"We have supplier protocols in place, and we systematically investigate suspected cases of child labour in our supply chain." (Lindt & Sprüngli spokesperson) [134]. That's the company's own account of its compliance system, not an independently audited finding.
WatchThe lawsuit seeks changes to Lindt's marketing claims rather than damages, and no trial date has been set. [134]
FromFoodNavigator.com
Worth Knowing
Food & Recipes
Try the Vegan Loaded Potato Wedges with Mixed Bean Chilli: crispy baked wedges topped with a smoky mixed-bean chili and homemade cashew sour cream. [83]
Daiya launched a wheat-based Protein Mac & Cheese with 10 grams of protein per serving, out now on Amazon in Cheddar and Herb & Garlic. [76]
Vegan seafood brand Oshi bought a Times Square billboard reading "To every fish in the ocean, we got this" to mark its plant-based salmon and white fish hitting stores. [76]
Michigan vegan fast-food chain Unburger is franchising for the first time, opening its second location in Ann Arbor this August after building a following in Dearborn. [76]
Amy's Kitchen recalled 184,000 cans of its organic vegan lentil soup over a pull-tab defect that could let in spoilage organisms. [77]
Research & Nutrition
A meta-analysis of prospective studies found vegetarians have 13% lower total cancer risk than non-vegetarians, and vegans 23% lower. [9]
A fully controlled crossover trial found a whole-food, plant-based diet cut LDL cholesterol 17.9% versus a standard American diet in adults with familial hypercholesterolemia. [4]
Researchers built an edible alginate scaffold that grows muscle cells into noodle-like fibers over 500 microns thick, a step toward structured cultivated meat. [43]
A pooled analysis of three cohort studies found people with the highest MIND diet adherence had a 17% lower risk of developing dementia than those with the lowest. [41]
Innovation
German dairy giant Bauer opened a new plant-based milk and yogurt production hub in Bavaria, sourcing soybeans from local farms to make the soy base in-house. [100]
FOUR PAWS UK called for mandatory "Method of Production" labels on all animal products sold in Britain, citing nearly 80% public support for the idea. [106]
Czech biotech BeneMeat hosted the country's meat processors' association at its cultivated-cell pilot plant, pitching the technology as a complement to conventional meat rather than a rival. [109]
The auction for Believer Meats' shuttered North Carolina cultivated-meat plant may draw bidders beyond UPSIDE Foods' $50 million stalking-horse offer as the deadline shifts again. [87]
One Good Thing
An Argentine court ruled that Fede and Magui, two goldfish kept for years in a cramped display tank outside a Buenos Aires sushi restaurant, are sentient beings with rights, not property, after Empty Cages filed a cruelty complaint on their behalf. They now live in a 660-gallon aquarium under a specialist's care, and PETA carried their story all the way to a Times Square billboard telling New Yorkers plainly that fish have rights too. [121]
<strong>Latest</strong> news
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