Brazil bans foie gras nationwide, as Costco's chicken abuse resurfaces
Brazil banned foie gras production and sales nationwide, the first country in the world to outlaw both, cutting off French imports built on force-feeding ducks and geese.
5 top stories35 sources read191 articles scanned6 sides of vegan life
Brazil banned foie gras production and sales nationwide, the first country in the world to outlaw both, cutting off French imports built on force-feeding ducks and geese [170].
02
Mercy For Animals footage shows chicks crushed and buried alive at a Costco organic chicken supplier, the same categories of abuse the retailer said it had fixed after a 2021 investigation [141].
03
Louis Dreyfus opened its first dedicated pea protein isolate plant in Saskatchewan, a new North American supply source for meat and dairy alternatives [119].
04
A meta-analysis of prospective studies found vegans carry 23% lower total cancer risk and 20% lower breast cancer risk than non-vegetarians [48].
05
The Robertson Foundation committed $19 million to six groups cutting food-system methane through plant-forward diets and food waste reduction [116].
06
A Florida brand recalled its Aquafaba Powder egg replacer nationwide after undeclared egg triggered an allergic reaction [152].
The Stories: the day’s biggest developments, in the sources’ own words
01▲Law & PolicyStory
Brazil bans foie gras production and sales, a world first
Photo: plant based news
“This victory belongs to every supporter who spoke up, every partner who stood with us, and every lawmaker who was on the right side of history and voted to protect animals.”
“The argument was that their production does not involve animal cruelty, that it is a cultural issue, and so on. But there was no chance of [a veto] ... It was approved unanimously by Congress.”
21countries had already banned foie gras production, but only Brazil now bans sales too [170]
27,000 tonnesof foie gras produced by China and France combined in 2025, up to 70 million birds [170]
1 million+messages Mercy For Animals says supporters sent to Brazilian decision-makers [170]
Watch- Whether the UK's Labour government keeps its manifesto pledge to ban foie gras imports, which the Guardian reports it may abandon to placate the EU [170]
Mercy For Animals footage shows chicks crushed and buried alive at Costco supplier
Photo: mercy for animals
“The second investigation confirms that animals are still suffering. And Costco has the power to change that.”
Arash Yomtobian, president and CEO, Mercy For Animals · [141]
“It is not. It is prohibited on all fronts.”
Arash Yomtobian, on whether beating injured birds with sticks and pipes is standard practice · [141]
By the numbers
520,000birds the investigated farm is estimated to confine at once [141]
250 millionchickens a year Mercy For Animals says Costco could spare by adopting slower-growing breeds and stronger oversight [141]
2ndtime in five years Mercy For Animals has investigated a Costco chicken supplier [141]
Overstated"a critical component" (Costco, describing animal welfare in its supply chain, 2021) [141]. Mercy For Animals' second investigation of a Costco supplier in five years found chicks crushed and buried alive, no outdoor access despite an organic label, and biosecurity failures, the same categories of harm documented in 2021.
Watch- Whether the USDA acts on Mercy For Animals' complaint that the investigated farm's organic certification doesn't match its conditions [141]
Louis Dreyfus opens first dedicated pea protein isolate plant in Canada
Photo: vegconomist
“Global demand for pea proteins continues to grow, for its non-allergen and non-GMO status, as well as its versatility across many food applications.”
Charles-Antoine Dubois, LDC's Global Head of Plant Proteins · [119]
By the numbers
75,000 metric tonnesof yellow peas the Yorkton, Saskatchewan plant can process into protein isolate a year at full capacity [119]
140new jobs added, bringing the complex to 260 employees by the end of 2026 [119]
2 million+ tonnesof annual canola-crushing capacity at the same site, more than doubled alongside the pea plant [119]
Fromvegconomist the vegan business magazine
05▲Research & NutritionStory
Meta-analysis finds vegan and vegetarian diets cut cancer risk
Wikimedia Commons / Vegetable
By the numbers
23%lower total cancer risk for vegans versus non-vegetarians, across three prospective studies [48]
20%lower breast cancer risk for vegans versus non-vegetarians [48]
13%lower total cancer risk for vegetarians versus non-vegetarians, plus lower risk at seven specific cancer sites including stomach, colorectal and pancreatic cancer [48]
Solid"vegetarian diets compared to non-vegetarian diets are associated with reduced risk of total cancer and seven specific cancer types, while vegan diets are associated with reduced risk of total and breast cancer" (study authors, European Journal of Epidemiology) [48]. A peer-reviewed systematic review of 17 publications from prospective studies, graded by World Cancer Research Fund criteria as "probable" for vegetarian diets and total, colorectal, colon and breast cancer, and "limited-suggestive" for vegan diets and total and breast cancer specifically.
FromRequested Evidence
Worth Knowing
Food & Recipes
Try VegNews's Korean BBQ Super Protein Burgers, built on walnuts, black beans and Just One protein powder, topped with kimchi mayo and quick-pickled cucumbers [93].
Canter's Deli, the 95-year-old Los Angeles institution, sells its Hot Pastrami-style sandwich with Mrs. Goldfarb's plant-based corned beef for 95 cents on August 3 [90].
Innovation
Kuehnle AgroSystems closed a Series B and is relocating to the Bay Area as it nears commercializing astaxanthin grown by dark fermentation instead of algae ponds [98].
France's Ferments du Futur received another $22 million in government funding to industrialize fermentation tech for plant-based foods through 2028 [99].
The UK government granted Ponda £2.35 million to build a 30-hectare wetland farm supplying its bulrush-based BioPuff, a goose-down alternative [114].
The Dutch government is funding a three-year program to help its companies bring fibre-rich blended meat products into the French market [115].
China's fermentation giants, squeezed by shrinking pharma margins, are redirecting idle capacity toward mycoprotein and precision-fermented fats, a new GFI APAC report finds [120].
The Vegan Society is redesigning its Vegan Trademark, which certifies more than 70,000 products, ahead of EU green-claims rules taking effect September 27 [121].
A Faunalytics study found "animal factory" draws a more negative reaction than "factory farm" among US adults while remaining nearly as widely recognized [123].
Epoch Biodesign acquired a Spanish nylon 6,6 plant to produce recycled polymer using an AI-designed enzyme platform that breaks down waste plastic [106].
Research & Nutrition
A separate meta-analysis found each 10-unit rise in a healthful plant-based diet index cut breast cancer risk 6%, colorectal cancer 5%, and liver cancer 23% [7].
A 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].
A secondary analysis of a vegan-diet trial found cutting animal foods, regardless of processing level, drove weight loss and fewer severe hot flashes in postmenopausal women [1].
One Good Thing
In Iowa, the country's top pork-producing state, the Faaborg family spent three decades raising hogs and this month opens a specialty mushroom farm on that same land as Transfarmation's second demonstration hub. "We spent generations raising pigs. Today, we're showing that the next generation of farming can look different," said Tanner Faaborg. The North American mushroom market is projected to hit $5.58 billion by 2030, and one family in Radcliffe just built a doorway other farmers can walk through to see it for themselves [142].
My blueberry crumble bars feature a buttery, lemony shortbread that serves as both the crust and the crumble topping, sandwiching a thick, jammy blueberry filling. With a crisp…
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