UK cultivated meat plans stall as EU pushes a wider meat-word ban
BeneMeat paused its UK cultivated meat plans, warning a UK-EU food deal could strip Britain's power to approve products like cultivated meat on its own terms.
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BeneMeat paused its UK cultivated meat plans, warning a UK-EU food deal could strip Britain's power to approve products like cultivated meat on its own terms [141].
02
EU lawmakers filed amendments to widen the bloc's plant-based labeling ban to generic words like steak, burger and sausage, with a December committee vote ahead [195].
03
A fashion executive assaulted a PETA activist at COS' New York Fashion Week wool protest, video showed [164].
04
Beyond Meat's mycelium steak filet reached its fourth US grocery chain, debuting at organic retailer Erewhon [140].
05
Lidl launched the UK's first private-label blended meat range, mixing beef and pork with pea protein for at least 20% more protein [128].
06
A meta-analysis of 87 clinical trials found four to six daily servings of whole grains meaningfully improve cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar [21].
BeneMeat pauses UK cultivated meat plans over Brexit food-rules deal
Photo: vegconomist
BeneMeat, a Prague-based cultivated meat company, has paused its UK novel food application, controlled tastings and talks on local production while it waits to learn whether a proposed UK-EU food trade deal will leave Britain in charge of its own approvals [141]. Its cultivated pet food ingredient already has UK regulatory recognition, and the company says prospective partners are waiting alongside it [141]. CEO Roman Kříž wrote to the Prime Minister on September 8 warning that folding into the EU's novel food process could cost Britain the regulatory edge it has built since leaving the bloc [141].
“Britain has built an environment that attracts technology, know-how and investment. If it gives up the ability to make decisions on emerging food technologies based on its own scientific evidence, priorities and timetable, it could quickly lose this advantage.”
EU lawmakers move to widen meat-word labeling ban to burger, steak, sausage
Photo: plant based news
MEPs from the European People's Party, European Conservatives and Reformists, and Patriots for Europe filed amendments in late August to widen the EU's plant-based labeling ban beyond the 31 words it already restricts, adding generic terms like steak, sausage, burger, bacon and ham [195]. A European Parliament committee is due to vote on the amendments in December, with a full plenary vote set for 2027 [195]. ProVeg International's earlier whitepaper found that banning meat words risks confusing shoppers, raising costs and slowing sector innovation, while the European Alliance for Plant-based Foods says the expanded ban would penalize manufacturers, farmers and consumers [195].
By the numbers
31meat-related words already restricted under June's EU labeling deal, which the new amendments would expand to cover generic terms like burger and steak [195]
Third time in six yearsthe EU Parliament will have debated a plant-based labeling ban if the amendments clear December's committee vote [195]
WatchThe European Parliament committee vote on the amendments, expected December 2026 [195]
Fashion executive assaults PETA activist at COS wool protest in NYC
Photo: peta
PETA supporters disrupted COS' New York Fashion Week runway show on September 13 to protest wool, and video showed a fashion executive pinning one protester to the floor and covering her mouth while another shoved senior campaigner Mason Melito as he filmed [164]. The protest followed a PETA Asia investigation into a NATIVA-certified wool operation supplying a broker that sells to H&M Group, COS' parent company, where investigators found workers kicking and stomping sheep and dragging lambs by their legs [164]. PETA is pressuring COS and H&M Group to drop wool entirely rather than rely on welfare certifications [164].
“We came to expose violence against sheep, and fashion answered with violence against the people defending them.”
17exposés of more than 150 wool-industry operations in eight countries PETA entities have released, finding violence or exploitation at every one [164]
Beyond Meat's mycelium steak filet lands at Erewhon, its fourth US grocer
Photo: vegconomist
Beyond Meat placed its whole-cut Beyond Steak Filet, made from wheat gluten, fava bean protein, avocado oil and mycelium, in Erewhon stores across Southern California, the filet's fourth US retail chain after Wegmans, H-E-B and Meijer [140]. CEO Ethan Brown called the debut one of the quarter's bright spots as the product built on strong direct-to-consumer sales since its October 2025 online launch [140].
“Launching Beyond Steak Filet at Erewhon brings this exciting offering to a community that values thoughtfully crafted nutrition and simple ingredients, through a retailer that has long been at the forefront of what's next in wellness.”
Gregorys Coffee's fall menu is almost entirely vegan, including a dairy-free Pumpkin Spice Latte made with oat milk by default [98].
Research & Nutrition
Eating more ultra-processed food was linked to more fat inside thigh muscles on MRI scans of 615 adults at risk for knee osteoarthritis, even after accounting for calories [2].
A 12-week trial found a self-selected vegan diet cut older adults' protein intake and shrank thigh muscle volume, though resistance exercise blunted the loss [36].
A meta-analysis of 19 cohort studies tied a 10-unit rise in plant-based diet scores to 8% lower breast cancer risk and 17% lower liver cancer risk [46].
Law & Policy
Animal Justice asked Georgia Aquarium to publicly pledge never to breed the two Marineland belugas it just received from Canada [171].
Activism & Animals
A UK government-commissioned review of more than 300 studies found "very strong evidence" of octopus sentience, the highest rating of any animal group it assessed [143].
Innovation
Formo expects an FDA "no questions" letter within weeks for its precision-fermented casein protein ahead of a US debut [109].
UK startup MicroLub raised $10 million for water-based microgels that cut fat and calories in food by up to 75% without losing mouthfeel [127].
Hindustan Unilever launched Horlicks-branded yeast protein powders in India, joining a fast-growing microbial protein market [129].
A Vegan Society of Ireland survey found 81% of Irish adults want to eat more fruit, vegetables and legumes, even though Ireland imports 83% of its produce [134].
Brazil's Treasury named alternative proteins one of six technology value chains eligible for its federal Eco Invest catalytic-capital auction [136].
A German industry whitepaper argues hybrid meat products need 25 to 50% plant content before they meaningfully cut reliance on animal protein [135].
One Good Thing
A German shepherd named Chief spent years alone in a mud-flooded outdoor pen in North Carolina after his owner kept him penned 24/7, but PETA fieldworkers tracked his case, kept him fed, watered and sheltered through the worst of it, and eventually won his release. He's now in a foster home in Norfolk, Virginia, meeting other dogs and splashing in his own kiddie pool while PETA looks for the family that will make it permanent [166]. Small, stubborn, years-long advocacy, and one dog gets a real yard instead of a pen.
I've made plenty of lentil soups, but this lentil potato soup is the one I keep coming back to. It always wins on flavor and nutrition, and I'll tell you the techniques that make…
40 min4 servings23 ingredients
See the ingredients
2 teaspoons oil
5 cloves garlic (minced or finely chopped)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (red or yellow)
3/4 teaspoon salt (divided)
1 cup chopped carrots (chopped into thin half moons)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons spice blend, (such as harissa, shawarma, sumac, or a combination (see notes for my quick harissa blend))
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or cayenne, or both)
6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup dried lentils (picked through for debris, washed well, and drained. I use brown, green will work too)
1 cup peeled and cubed potatoes (or more, to taste)
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