Posts Tagged ‘meat production’

Agenda-Driven Science to Justify Fixed Policy Preferences

May 2, 2024 — On the subject of nutrition and health, we commonly encounter strong statements presented as scientific truths that must be honored. Headlines scream that “ultra-processed food is killing us,” using studies of correlation to justify sounding an alarm. “Cows are just an environmental disaster,” says Hannah Ritchie in the New York Times. But with equally great […]

Meat? Essential. Worker Health and Safety? Less So.

April 29, 2020 — We have the meats! So says Arby’s in its advertising. Likewise, the U.S. government is stepping up to make sure we can all say this. Last night, President Trump signed an executive order for meat packing plants to stay open during the pandemic. Some have been closing because of rising deaths among workers due to […]

PR Spin Makes Processed Fake Meat Seem Healthy

May 11, 2019 — It’s vegan, plant-based protein. But it’s food in a familiar, comforting form. What’s not to like about the Beyond Burger? Now starring at Carl’s Jr. You’ll feel great about the health, sustainability, and animal welfare benefits of plant-based protein, say the folks at Beyond Meat. On the other hand, though, it is highly processed fake […]

Putting the Planet on a Better Diet

January 20, 2019 — Civilization is in crisis, the Earth is at risk, and it’s time to put the planet on a better diet. So say Lancet editors Tamara Lucas and Richard Horton as they sum up findings of the EAT-Lancet Commission healthy and sustainable diets. They write: The dominant diets that the world has been producing and eating for the […]

Organic, Grass-Fed, and Hormone-Free Beef

November 25, 2018 — Does this make red meat any healthier? Red meat is an excellent source of protein and essential nutrients such as iron, zinc, vitamin B12 and omega-3 fats, which are are linked to heart and brain health. But while a small quantity of lean meat may be good for us, too much red or processed meat […]

Antibiotics in Livestock: Time for Slimming Down the Herd?

October 6, 2017 — It’s unmistakeable. Change is coming to the business of fattening up livestock and selling meat for human consumption. Many factors are bringing change, but antibiotics are in sharp focus right now. A report in Science calls for bold global action. The authors recommend caps on antibiotic use, reductions in meat consumption, and a user fee […]

Less Beef = Less Carbon and More Health?

March 25, 2017 — The NRDC has a little ray of sunshine for us this week. Americans are eating less beef and that means less carbon going into the atmosphere to heat up the planet. It might also mean healthier dietary patterns. The Environmental Impact of Beef Production Meat production creates a lot of greenhouse gases. And beef is […]

China’s New Diet

July 1, 2016 — China wants to go on something of a vegetarian diet. New dietary guidelines from the Chinese Nutrition Society and the Ministry of Health call for a 50% reduction in meat consumption. The primary driver for this advice is the impact of meat production on CO2 emissions and climate change.  Without reducing meat consumption, it may be impossible […]

Antibiotics in Farm Animals Soar in Developing World

March 24, 2015 — Perhaps you thought that use of antibiotics in farm animals was headed in the right direction — down. We did. Apparently we were wrong. Despite recent encouraging news in the U.S., a new publication in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences (PNAS) documents soaring use of antibiotics for the production of meat in […]