EU regulation reserving 31 meat terms for animal products alone became law, forcing plant-based and cultivated-meat brands to rebrand by 2029 [76].
02
Beyond Meat launched a "Phytosphere" line of protein powders, bars and a produce-forward burger as US foodservice volumes fell 27.4% [62].
03
A 12-week RCT found a self-selected vegan diet cut older adults' protein intake and shrank thigh muscle volume, an effect resistance exercise roughly halved [18].
04
PETA and We Animals drone footage revealed 16,000 dogs confined across 50 warehouses at lab breeder Marshall BioResources [117].
05
Onego Bio's animal-free egg protein will replace conventional egg white in Zen Waffles nationwide, an off-ramp from the US egg crisis [93].
06
UK tempeh sales jumped 71.6% and tofu 7.2% in early 2026 while meat-mimicking vegan products fell 4.3%, new retail data shows [140].
EU Bans 31 Meat Terms for Plant-Based and Cultivated Meat Brands
Photo: cultivated meat news
Regulation (EU) 2026/1739 is now in force, reserving terms like beef, chicken and steak exclusively for products from animals, and the restriction applies equally to plant-based foods and to cultivated, microbial, fungal and algae-derived products [76]. Companies have until August 19, 2029 to adjust branding and packaging, and products already on shelves before August 18, 2026 can stay in stores until August 19, 2032 or until stocks run out [76].
By the numbers
31meat-related terms, including beef, chicken and steak, reserved exclusively for animal-derived products under the new regulation [76]
August 19, 2029deadline for alternative protein companies to bring branding and marketing into compliance [76]
August 19, 2032cutoff for pre-existing stock made before August 18, 2026 to clear shelves under the old labeling [76]
Beyond Meat Launches Phytosphere Protein Powders as Core Sales Keep Falling
Photo: vegconomist
Beyond Meat rolled out Phytosphere, a direct-to-consumer platform selling protein powders, a mycelium-based jerky bar and a fruit-and-vegetable burger, moving the company beyond the original Beyond Burger business it was built on [62][97]. The launch lands as the company's foodservice channel keeps shrinking: US foodservice volumes dropped 27.4% and international out-of-home volumes fell 20.4% in the same quarter, even as Beyond Meat posted a $16.4 million net profit on $68.8 million in revenue [62].
“The nutritive benefits of plants are extraordinary, yet we often fail to get meaningful amounts of these superpowers in our modern diet.”
FromJust Foodvegconomist the vegan business magazine
03▬Research & NutritionStory
Study Finds Vegan Diet Reduces Muscle Mass in Older Adults, Exercise Offsets Loss
Wikimedia Commons / Tofu
A 12-week randomized controlled trial of 72 healthy adults aged 65 and up found a self-selected vegan diet cut protein intake by roughly 19 to 28 grams a day and shrank thigh muscle volume and appendicular lean mass compared with an omnivorous diet, researchers reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition [16][18]. A third group that paired the same vegan diet with resistance exercise lost about half as much thigh muscle volume as the diet-only group, and muscle protein synthesis in that group nearly matched the omnivores' [18].
By the numbers
‒0.61 Ldecline in thigh muscle volume on the vegan diet alone over 12 weeks, versus ‒0.01 L on the omnivorous diet and ‒0.35 L on the vegan diet plus resistance exercise [18]
‒1.15 kgdrop in appendicular lean mass on the vegan diet, compared with +0.05 kg on the omnivorous diet [18]
19 to 28 gramsdaily protein intake lost on the self-selected vegan diet across the 12-week trial [18]
PETA and We Animals released drone footage of Marshall BioResources' 103-acre compound in North Rose, New York, showing 50 warehouses that confine roughly 16,000 beagles alongside thousands of ferrets, cats and minipigs bred for sale to laboratories [117]. Whistleblowers told PETA the dogs live in barren metal-floor cages above soiled concrete with no outdoor access, and some beagles wear tight inhalation masks so the company can charge more for dogs "trained" to tolerate poison-gas testing [117]. PETA is asking the USDA to revoke Marshall's dealer license after federal officials repeatedly cited the company for inadequate veterinary care and decrepit cages [117].
By the numbers
16,000dogs currently confined in Marshall BioResources' New York warehouses [117]
50warehouses spread across a 103-acre compound the company could fit 93 football fields into [117]
Crispy pan-fried tofu crumbles in a five-ingredient ginger-soy sauce make these Spicy Ginger Ground Tofu Bowls, ready over rice in 20 minutes [65].
HBO's Lanterns introduces DC's John Stewart as a live-action vegan superhero, motivated after witnessing a slaughterhouse scene in episode four [67].
Innovation
Better Nature launched a "Believe in Tempeh" ad campaign spoofing KFC's marketing after a survey found 54% of Brits say they're bored of chicken [94].
RespectFarms opened its Netherlands cultivated-meat pilot farm to public visitors for a free open day, with a fully operational site not expected until 2028 [99].
Estonian startups Äio and Tilk launched a face cream using two fermentation-derived yeast fat alternatives that require 97% less land than palm oil [92].
The Vegetarian Society secured EU registration for its redesigned Vegetarian Approved and Vegan Approved certification marks after a three-year client consultation process [95].
Karnataka's Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre developed six plant-based protein bars using local pulses like toor dal and Bengal gram, working with the state's agriculture department [91].
Onego Bio and The Every Company remain locked in a patent fight over precision-fermented egg protein, with a Delaware case still active after a Wisconsin court dismissed a similar suit for lack of jurisdiction [93].
Research & Nutrition
A meta-analysis of prospective studies found vegetarian diets linked to 13% lower total cancer risk and vegan diets to 23% lower total cancer risk versus non-vegetarians [30].
NutritionFacts.org detailed how meat-industry funding tied to Texas A&M AgriLife shaped a widely criticized 2019 panel that downplayed red meat's health risks [7].
Activism & Animals
Trump issued a proclamation allowing 100,000 additional metric tons of imported beef into the US at lower tariffs for 90 days, a day after meeting a top shareholder in Brazilian meatpacker JBS [118].
Law & Policy
Essere Animali documented roughly 15,000 pigs suffering heat stress in Italian trucks, recording internal temperatures up to 45°C with no water required under current EU rules for short journeys [120].
One Good Thing
Michael McCaffrey captains Canada's national pickleball team, and this year he took gold with Team BC at the IG Wealth Management National Championships, all fueled by farmers'-market vegetables, tofu, seitan and a weekly pot of bean-and-lentil soup. Vegan since 2020, he told Great Vegan Athletes he "couldn't think of a morally relevant difference between humans and other animals that justified farming and killing one for food but not the other." Six years and up to 3,500 calories a day later, the protein question amuses him more than it worries him [139].
Made with crispy ginger-soy sauce-coated tofu crumbles, these Spicy Ginger Tofu Rice Bowls are seriously filling and loaded with bold flavors! Ready in 20 minutes for an easy…
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