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The number of news found: 14.

07/31/2019 TECHNOLOGY STARTUP CREATES LAB-GROWN PALM OIL

Green startup C16 Biosciences has developed a lab-grown alternative to palm oil. Palm oil—an industry that is estimated to be worth $88 billion—is used in a number of everyday products such as food, clothes, shampoo, cosmetics, and fuel and is associated with deforestation of rainforests in Costa Rica and Indonesia to make way for palm tree plantations, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and destroying habitats for people and endangered wild animals along the way. Using synthetic biology, C16 was able to create a sustainable, environmentally-friendly alternative to palm oil using yeast, that grows in tap water, and feeding it a feedstock or carbon source to multiply. Given the wide use of palm oil in products, the company is concentrating its efforts to replace the use of palm oil in a portion of the market, starting with the skincare and cosmetics industries. "Fermentation is a well-proven commercial process that has been used for centuries to convert raw materials into consumable commercial products consumed by billions of people every day," C16's website says. "We believe that brewing palm oil like beer is the best and most likely path to developing a truly sustainable palm oil alternative." (vegnews.com)

07/29/2019 UNITED AIRLINES CUT ALL TIES WITH SEAWORLD

United Airlines announced it has stopped selling tickets to SeaWorld. The major American airline removed any trace of the theme park from its website following animal cruelty concerns. United Airlines made the move away from SeaWorld following pressure from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - PETA, the largest animal rights organization in the world. The airline joins a growing number of companies like Air Canada, WestJet, Virgin Holidays and travel company Thomas Cook which have pledged to stop promoting the marine park. Alaska, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, and Sunwing airlines have also committed to ending their relationships with SeaWorld. (livekindly.com)

07/26/2019 UK FINALLY BANS WILD ANIMAL CIRCUSES AFTER 20 YEARS OF PROTESTS

This week, the British Parliament passed the Wild Animals in Circus Bill, which effectively bans the use of wild animals in traveling circuses across the United Kingdom after January 2020. The move comes after more than 20 years of investigations and campaigns that uncovered the exploitation of animals in circuses, many conducted by animal-rights group Animal Defenders International (ADI). Starting in 1993, ADI collected undercover footage that exposed the rampant cruelty present throughout the then-thriving circus industry which supplied thousands of wild animals to circus shows around the world, including the United States. "I am delighted that Parliament has finally banned wild animals in circuses, and we can draw a line under this archaic abuse in England, Scotland (where there is already a ban), and soon, I hope, in Wales," ADI President Jan Creamer said. (vegnews.com)

07/25/2019 11-YEAR-OLD ENTREPRENEUR LAUNCHES VEGAN RESTAURANT IN UK

Eleven-year-old vegan entrepreneur Omari McQueen recently announced the launch of his own restaurant, Dipalicious. McQueen—who is also the founder of a vegan dip company of the same name—will host his first restaurant pop-up in Croydon, United Kingdom from August 17 to 24. While the full menu has yet to be finalized, McQueen will offer dishes such as BBQ Jackfruit with Breadfruit Chips, Stew Broccoli with Rice and Peas, Pepper Fritters with Dipalicious dips, and more. "I wanted to open a restaurant to bring people together through food without harming animals," McQueen told VegNews. McQueen created Dipalicious at eight years old after starting a YouTube channel where he filmed himself making a vegan pizza served with his own Caribbean Kick dip. Dipalicious offers a selection of vegan dips, snacks, juice packs, and seasonings. The young entrepreneur has received a number of accolades, including the TruLittle Hero Award for being an "entrepreneur hero" under 12 by Cause4Children Ltd. and PETA's Compassionate Kids Award for using his entrepreneurial flair to help animals. (vegnews.com)

07/22/2019 VEGAN OAT MILK SALES SPIKE BY 70 PERCENT IN UK

Sales of vegan oat milk in the United Kingdom increased by 70 percent to £36 million ($45 million) in 2018, according to a report released last week by market research firm Mintel. Overall, Mintel found that demand for plant-based milk in the previous two years has increased by 10 percent, with 2018 sales of coconut and almond milk increasing by 16 percent and 10 percent, respectively. To understand the trend, Mintel surveyed 2,000 British consumers and found that younger generations were more likely to consume plant-based milk than older ones, with nearly a quarter (23 percent) of all participants indicating they have used plant-based milk within the three-month period ending in February 2019. Popular brand Oatly's UK sales reflect this trend, increasing by 90 percent to £18 million ($22.5 million) in 2018—a number Oatly expects to exceed £30 million ($37.5 million) this year. (vegnews.com)

07/19/2019 FINISH STARTUP MAKES CLEAN VEGAN PROTEIN FROM CARBON DIOXIDE

Finland-based food technology startup Solar Foods recently developed a new technology to produce vegan protein powder from carbon dioxide. The company—which was founded as a university spin-off in 2017—uses electricity and carbon dioxide captured from the air to create a substance that tastes like wheat flour and it made up of 50 percent protein, while the remainder is made of carbohydrates and fats. Production requires breaking apart water into hydrogen and oxygen with electricity in a bioreactor. The resulting hydrogen is then added to carbon dioxide, which can be fed to microbes during a fermentation process. Solar Foods hopes to use the resulting protein powder as an ingredient in foods or as a base for plant-based burger patties. Solar Foods is preparing to bring its product to consumers by 2021 after it obtains a food license from the European Union. (vegnews.com)

07/17/2019 NOVAK DJOKOVIC WINS WIMBLEDON ON PLANT-BASED DIET

On Sunday, plant-powered tennis star Novak Djokovic won the Wimbledon Men's Singles final for the fifth time. Djokovic beat former champion Roger Federer in the four-hour-long match—the longest single's final game in Wimbledon history. The Serbian-born athlete adopted a plant-based diet for health reasons several years ago and credits his animal-free diet for boosting his performance on the court. "I do eat plant-based. I don't like the labels, to be honest," Djokovic explained his preference to not call himself vegan during a recent conference. "But because of the misinterpretations of labels and misuse of labels, I just don't like that kind of name. I do eat plant-based. I think that's one of the reasons why I recover well. I don't have allergies that I used to have any more. And I like it." From world race car champion Lewis Hamilton to NBA star Kyrie Irving, elite athletes across a variety of sports have adopted a plant-based diet to optimize their performances. (vegnews.com)

07/15/2019 WORLD'S FIRST VEGAN SOCCER TEAM SWITCHES TO SUSTAINABLE BAMBOO UNIFORMS

For the next two seasons, United Kingdom's vegan soccer club Forest Green Rovers will wear new vegan uniforms made by sports clothing brand PlayLayer from 50-percent bamboo—highly reducing the amount of plastic typically used in uniforms. The design of the new uniforms was inspired by the camouflage pattern of the zebra and features a logo from its charity partner, ocean conservation organization Sea Shepherd, on the back of the jersey, and the logo of its milk partner, vegan brand Oatly, on the back of the shorts. Forest Green Rovers Chairman Dale Vince—who is also the CEO of vegan electricity company Ecotricity—purchased the club in 2011 and began renovations to create the most sustainable team and stadium in the world. In 2015, the club removed all animal products to become the world's first vegan stadium and serves vegan food such as Quorn meat alternatives, pizzas, and burgers. The team will launch a third uniform next month in tribute to Sea Shepard and as part of a fundraising initiative for the vegan organization (vegnews.com)

07/12/2019 IKEA MADE ITS VEGAN HOT DOGS CHEAPER THAN THE MEAT VERSION

IKEA's vegan hot dogs are now cheaper than its meat-based ones. A post by Instagram account @thevegan.society2 drew attention to the price difference between IKEA's vegan and animal-based hot dogs. The Veggie Dog was priced at 75c, compared to the conventional hot dog’s $1 at one of its locations. "They didn't even put a description for the meat hot dog," the post was captioned, referring to the fact that the Veggie Dog's toppings — sweet and spicy mustard, pickled red cabbage, and roasted onions — are listed whilst the meat hot dog's description is bare. The Swedish-founded furniture giant has been upping its vegan food options recently to cater to growing demand. IKEA introduced its vegan hot dogs last year following a test run in Malmö, Sweden, where it received a 95 percent approval rating. Since August last year IKEA has sold nearly five million meat-free dogs. Earlier this year, IKEA began selling 10-packs of frozen veggie hot dogs. (livekindly.com)

07/10/2019 JADEN SMITH OPENS FREE VEGAN FOOD TRUCK ON SKID ROW IN LOS ANGELES

This weekend, musician Jaden Smith—son of celebrity couple Will and Jada Pinkett Smith—launched the first pop-up location of I Love You Restaurant, a vegan food truck that serves free food to the homeless. The truck served the homeless community of the Skid Row region of Los Angeles for one day and Smith aims to continue bringing vegan food to others in need. A number of celebrities took to Instagram to praise Smith for his efforts in aiding people experiencing homelessness, including Kevin Hart, SZA, Nick Cannon, Jordin Sparks, and Travis Barker. In May, Smith—a vocal environmental activist and lover of vegan pancakes—joined a long list of celebrity investors to help fund a $300 million Series E round for Impossible Foods, capital that the plant-based company will use to increase production capacity of its Impossible Burger. (vegnews.com)

07/08/2019 PLANT-BASED MEAT IS ABOUT TO GET CHEAPER THAN ANIMAL FLESH

Vegan meat may soon become cheaper than its animal-based counterparts, according to a new report compiled by Liz Specht, PhD, senior scientist at food nonprofit Good Food Institute. In the report, Specht outlines the obstacles that plant-based food producers face when aiming to compete with meat companies. When it comes to profit margins, companies such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are currently charging as much as the market will bear in order to funnel profits into expanding production capacity to meet surging demand. These companies are also at the mercy of using ingredients derived from a bigger supply chain such as soy and pea proteins which are primarily grown for other uses, including animal feed and oil. Specht believes that once plant-based companies are big enough, they will flip this factor and drive the optimization of raw ingredients, creating side streams for other companies. Additionally, these companies' current manufacturing facilities are built to handle smaller scale production but Specht anticipates an exponential development in this area, as well. Lastly, since many new vegan companies are funded by venture capital with the expectation of creating novel technologies, early funds are often used for research and development purposes, a cost that is passed onto the consumer initially but is reduced greatly as the new technology is scaled. While these limiting factors are still in play when it comes to large-scale production of plant-based foods, some companies are already thinking about how to reduce costs to make vegan food more appealing to consumers. (vegnews.com)

07/05/2019 46,000 CUSTOMERS DEMAND STARBUCKS DROP VEGAN MILK UPCHARGE

More than 46,000 people have sent a letter to Starbucks to demand the chain drop its policy of charging extra for non-dairy milk. While companies such as Tim Hortons, Noah's New York Bagels, Philz Coffee, and Costa Coffee do not charge extra for vegan milk options, Starbucks continues to add up to 80 cents to orders that include soy, almond, coconut, or oat milk. Animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently launched a letter-writing campaign to encourage Starbucks to reconsider its policy. The campaign urges customers to send a formal letter to Starbucks about the issue and more than 46,000 people have taken action to date. (vegnews.com)

07/03/2019 JAPAN RESUMES WHALE SLAUGHTER AFTER 30 YEAR BAN

On July 1, Japan has begun hunting whales after refraining from the cruel practice for more than 30 years. The country broke with international policy established in 1982 by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to resume the hunting and killing of whales for food, despite an almost 99-percent decrease in consumer demand for whale meat from 1862 to 2017. A group of more than 100 animal-rights and environmental groups, alongside celebrities such as Ricky Gervais, Jane Goodall, and Liz Bonnin sent an open letter about Japan's choice to break with the IWC to the 20 countries involved in last weekend's G20 Summit which was hosted by Japan in Osaka. Kitty Block, President of the Humane Society International, said Japan's new whaling program stands in stark contrast to its involvement in the G20 Summit—which is aimed to facilitate international cooperation. Japan's Fisheries Agency authorized the slaughter of 383 whales annually under its new hunting program. (vegnews.com)

07/01/2019 NEW ORCA DOCUMENTARY CONTINUES THE "BLACKFISH EFFECT"

On July 16, new animal-rights documentary Long Gone Wild will be released in North America. The film focuses on the plight of orca whales in captivity and within the wildlife trade, picking up where the acclaimed animal-rights documentary Blackfish left off. Released in 2013, Blackfish told the story of Tilikum, a performing killer whale living in captivity at SeaWorld. The film created a phenomenon known as the "Blackfish effect," or a major impact on SeaWorld's business—including plummeting attendance, millions of dollars in losses, and a class-action lawsuit. Long Gone Wild believes the fight to save orcas isn't over because the marine animals are still kept in captivity for profit and provides an in-depth look at the case against captivity by sharing interviews with leading experts in the field. The film shares footage of the wildlife trade that includes capturing orcas from the wild and selling them to the exploding marine theme park industry in China, and points to the hardships orcas experience in captivity, such as collapsed fins, broken teeth, and severe boredom and depression. Long Gone Wild also showcases plans for a seaside sanctuary for marine animals created by The Whale Sanctuary Project that provides a safe, permanent home for retired orcas in their natural habitat with no requirement to perform. (vegnews.com)

The number of news found: 14.

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