FDA Ends 'Animal Testing' Language; Spain Backs Plant Protein Plant
The FDA is scrubbing "animal testing" from drug regulations in favor of "nonclinical," a change the Physicians Committee pushed for over nearly a decade.
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The FDA is scrubbing "animal testing" from drug regulations in favor of "nonclinical," a change the Physicians Committee pushed for over nearly a decade [16].
02
Spain's state investment bank put €40 million into Barcelona soy processor Elian, adding over 100,000 tonnes of plant-protein capacity as the EU chases a 35%-by-2035 domestic protein target [102].
03
A third beluga exported from shuttered Marineland has died, this time at Spain's Oceanogràfic València within eight days of two others dying at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium [128].
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Ontario proposed banning horse slaughter at its licensed meat plants, joining Canada's retreat from an export trade that still kills more than 10,000 horses a year [129].
05
Animal Justice is pressing Toronto lab Nucro-Technics to rehome its beagles before Ontario's world-first ban on dog and cat testing takes effect January 1 [127].
06
A new study found Swiss adults eat up to 850% more meat and dairy than the EAT-Lancet diet recommends, while legume intake sits at just 4% of target [155].
The Stories: the day’s biggest developments, in the sources’ own words
01▲Law & PolicyStory
FDA Replaces 'Animal Testing' With 'Nonclinical' In Drug Regulations
Photo: physicians committee
The FDA said it is updating numerous drug and biological product regulations, replacing references to "animal testing" and "animal studies" with the broader term "nonclinical," a change the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has pushed since it identified 235 outdated rules in 2017 [16]. The update covers the stages of drug development that happen before human trials, but it leaves out the Animal Rule and provisions tied to product classification and orphan drug designation, so the reform is partial [16]. It builds on the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, which already ended a legal preference for animal testing [16].
“For decades, the FDA's regulations have directed drug developers toward animal tests, even as more predictive human-based methods have become available. Today's action sends a clear message that nonanimal methods should play a central role in evaluating the safety of new medicines.”
Janine McCarthy, director of research policy, Physicians Committee · [16]
By the numbers
235FDA regulations the Physicians Committee flagged as barriers to nonanimal methods back in 2017 [16]
Dec 7, 2026 / Feb 4, 2027deadline for public comment, then the date the final rule takes effect [16]
Spanish State Fund Invests $46 Million In Barcelona Soy Protein Plant
Photo: green queen
Spain's sovereign wealth fund Cofides put €40 million ($45.9 million) into Barcelona-based Elian, one of Europe's leading soybean processors, to expand plant-protein production at its Port of Barcelona plant by more than 100,000 tonnes of annual capacity [102]. The deal lands alongside the European Commission's new Protein Plan, which aims to lift the EU's domestically produced protein share from 25.8% to 35% by 2035 [102]. Elian says the expansion, due to finish by early 2028, will cut Europe's reliance on soy imports from the US, South America, and China [102].
“This alliance enables us to accelerate our roadmap to lead Europe in plant-based protein sovereignty, ensuring that the food industry has access to a local, traceable, highly sustainable supply that is protected from volatility in global supply markets.”
Third Beluga Whale Dies After Marineland's Rushed Mass Export
Photo: animal justice
Jelly Bean, a 19-year-old beluga exported from the shuttered Marineland theme park, died suddenly at Spain's Oceanogràfic València, just weeks after two other transferred belugas, Peekachu and Rain, died within eight days of each other at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium [128]. All 30 of Marineland's remaining belugas were shipped out on a compressed timeline after the park threatened to kill them, clearing the way for a real estate sale reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars [128]. Three of five belugas Marineland sent to Mystic Aquarium in 2021 also died after that facility found pre-existing health conditions [128].
“Marineland created its own emergency, and now whales are paying with their lives, a final tragic insult after years of exploitation.”
Ontario Proposes Banning Horse Slaughter At Licensed Meat Plants
Wikimedia Commons / Horse
Ontario proposed updating its Food Safety and Quality Act to ban killing horses, donkeys, and mules at provincially licensed slaughterhouses, and to bar those plants from processing or distributing horse meat even when it arrives from federally licensed facilities [129]. The province said recent public attention to horse welfare drove the change [129]. Animal Justice welcomed the move but wants Ontario to go further and ban transporting horses through the province bound for slaughter elsewhere [129].
“Ontarians simply don't accept the cruel horse slaughter industry, and we applaud Ontario for listening to the public and aligning animal protection laws with our community values.”
10,000+horses from Canada and the US are estimated to be slaughtered each year [129]
1horse slaughterhouse remains operating in Canada, in Quebec, after Alberta's largest one closed [129]
WatchWhether Ontario adds a ban on transporting horses through the province for slaughter, the extra step Animal Justice is pushing for [129].
FromAnimal Justice
Worth Knowing
Innovation
Tofoo & Co marks its 10th birthday with organic seitan Frankfurters, Bratwurst, and a new Silken Tofu, all landing at Tesco, Sainsbury's, and Waitrose this month [110].
Jensen Meat added a Teriyaki flavor to its shelf-stable Butcher Stick, a 4g-sunflower-protein snack stick with a 12-month shelf life [106].
Lidl GB blended pea protein into six own-label mince and sausage products, part of its push to make plant sources 25% of protein sales by 2030 [109].
The Non-GMO Project's Non-UPF Verified label has certified more than 300 products across 23 brands in the nine months since launch [97].
Danish startup React Foods raised $645,000 to scale fermentation that turns CO2 and hydrogen into a yeast protein meant to replace whey and egg [103].
Dutch starch maker Avebe won a confectionery industry award for PerfectaGEL, a potato starch that cuts vegan gummy drying time from up to 72 hours to as little as three [111].
Trade body AMPS partnered with UK firm Cultigen Group to build B2B marketplace and research-intelligence tools for cultivated meat startups [104].
A DZNE study of 6,470 adults found diets built on healthy plant foods track with slower biological aging, while unhealthy plant-based diets tracked with faster aging [107].
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 [40].
A crossover trial found a vegan Mediterranean diet cut LDL cholesterol by an average of 21.2 mg/dL more than a traditional Mediterranean diet in women with fibromyalgia [32].
Activism & Animals
A joint FAO/World Meteorological Organization report found farmed animals lose 3% to 5% of food intake per degree above 30°C, with heatwaves already causing mass mortality events [122].
Food & Recipes
JBS is turning its collagen ingredients unit Genu-in into a consumer brand, launching protein puff snacks with gummies and drinks in the pipeline [72].
Italian confectioner Loacker is investing €1 million a year backing startups including Danish alt-chocolate maker Endless Food Co, which turns spent brewery grain and cacao shells into a cocoa-free chocolate substitute [73].
One Good Thing
Jamie Oliver showed up on Romesh Ranganathan's podcast with four vegan lasagnas, one to eat on air and three for the freezer, after telling Ranganathan it was the hardest recipe he'd tackled in 25 years and 7,000 dishes [154]. Ranganathan, vegan since 2013, said it was the first "luxurious" lasagna he'd had since he gave up dairy, and that it "made me emotional." Sometimes the win is just a chef caring enough to keep going back for the texture.
Your next family breakfast needs this fruity and naturally sweetened Baked Berry Oatmeal. Golden on top and gooey in the middle, it’s perfect for weekends and Sunday brunch. Make…
50 min6 servings10 ingredients
See the ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (or vegan yogurt or mashed banana)
1 1/4 cups unsweetened soy milk (or other plant milk)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
2 cups fresh berries (I used blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries (frozen berries work too))
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (pumpkin seeds, almonds, or pecans)
Animal Justice