This is the online version of the Vegan Slate newsletter w/e 28th April 2024. You can join us here for weekly news and vegan content.
Hey Fellow Space Traveller,
I’ve just about managed to get the newsletter out on time. By the skin of my teeth!
There’s been a whole host of stories this week in the vegan world and I’ve been trying to choose the ones which may not always be covered elsewhere …
Curated this week we have the latest on the highly concerning bird flu outbreak, dairy farms polluting UK rivers and the next-gen bioreactors for growing meat!
I hope you enjoy this week’s news shake down …
As always, we ask for your help in spreading the word. It may seem like a share makes little difference it really does. You can suggest your friends sign up here and join us.
We want your news – let us know what’s happening. We read all your emails!
… so let’s get into it.
Thank you for being with us!
– Rohan 🙂
This Week’s Top Story
US bird flu outbreak: 20% of milk samples have “neutralized H5N1 viral particles”
I’ve noticed the chit-chatter online has been slowly but steadily increasing around the bird flu topic over the last 3 to 4 weeks.
Are we sleepwalking into another global pandemic shutdown?
How many more outbreaks of animal-borne viruses in humans will it take for us to finally wake up and smell the coffee. I think nature is trying to warn us.
In Michigan alone, close to 7 million infected turkeys, chickens and other fowl have had to be ‘terminated’ over the last two years.
… and now it’s in the milk. So are humans at risk from bird flu in dairy products?
Well, the FDA says no. As long as the milk is pasteurised this should kill the virus completely.
However, the fact that bird flu has already crossed the species barrier into dairy herds should be a wake up call, especially since it was so brutally laid bare how unprepared we were for the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many vegans have been sounding the alarm for decades because one pretty fail-safe way to stop these zoonotic diseases is to stop farming animals. Or at least drastically reduce.
If viruses are good at one thing, it’s mutating to stay alive. I would not be at all surprised if the H5N1 virus mutates enough to survive the pasteurisation process … it is only a partial sterilisation after all.
Once it’s surviving long enough to hit the stomach of a human then it’s just a matter of time before human to human infection occurs.
… and it has a recorded 52% fatality rate in humans. It would make Covid-19 look like a walk in the park!
Just yesterday on the 27th April, the World Health Organisation issued a warning about the “increased risk of bird flu transmitting to humans”
Reminding us that the virus has already jumped to various mammals, including hundreds of humans not to mention killing millions of birds worldwide.
I wonder if those massive sheds full of 10’s of thousands of overly stressed birds might be a hot breeding ground for H5N1? Hmmmm …
But still the first thing you see on the FDA update page for avian flu is the fact it transfers from wild birds to domestic poultry, almost placing the blame on the wild bird population.
… and to learn that experts are a bit baffled at the outbreak in 16 dairy herds in Texas, plus the infection rate shows no signs of slowing really has to be the kick in the fundament that we need.
If there was ever a more appropriate time to switch to plant-based, now surely it is that time.
… and quick!
I’d love to know what you think. Reply with your comments … we read them all 🙂
Have a great week from all at Vegan Slate …
– Rohan McAvee
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Around The Vegan Web This Week Ending 28th April 24
Industry meets academia in a bio-reactive “next level” partnership
You’ve probably heard of cultured meat by now but did you know how the process actually works? Well I didn’t so I had to do a little ‘Binging’ (research on Bing) on what a bioreactor does when I saw this story in the Vegconomist magazine. A team from the University of Denmark are joining forces with cell-ag industry experts, TCB, to develop the next generation of bioreactors which will “substantially impact the advancement of bioreactor technology”. The new bioreactors will be more efficient and take the technology to a more scalable place …
3 delicious new plant-based offerings from Cauldron Foods
While some alt-meat producers are currently finding market conditions challenging, Portishead based Cauldron Foods seems to be going from strength to strength, launching 3 new products this week. Soon to be found in your nearest Asda, Tesco etc why not check out the 2 new vegan veggie bakes: pumpkin & caramelised onion or the spinach and carrot along with the new extra firm tofu block which needs no pressing. Just cube it up and off you go. I’m feeling hungry just thinking about it … nom nom 🙂
800 million people will go to bed hungry tonight …
Even though the human race has made huge technological strides in the last 200 years we still don’t seem to be able to feed everyone. Food insecurity is a huge driver of societal instability and we need to step up our game if we’re to evolve towards a place where people are not limited due to a lack of food. Thankfully, the tide does seem to be slowly turning with more and more big companies moving towards a more sustainable, plant-based solution. When the money men get involved in ‘foodtech’ you know we’re on the right track …
Study shows plant-based swaps healthier and more eco-friendly
Published this week, yet again we see another rigorous study showing the multi-faceted benefits of moving towards a more plant-based lifestyle. Emphasis was placed on the need to be selective when deciding on which novel plant-based foods (NPBFs) to choose, suggesting some of the alternatives out there are not particularly healthy. But overall, this systematic review concluded that certain NPBFs have the potential to be more environmentally friendly and more healthy than their animal based counterparts. Another nail in the coffin of the animal ag machine.
6 masterful plant-based recipes from pro-chef Alex Webb …
Crowned the 2020 winner of Masterchef: The Professionals, Alex Webb, has teamed up with Violife Professional in a campaign designed to highlight how dairy-free substitutions are as equally viable in a professional kitchen as they are in the family home. Alex wants to prove to the industry that performance and flavour need not be sacrificed when switching to plant-based dairy products and the results are often superior, as well as drastically reducing eco-footprints …
Prime Roots embarks on a US road trip promoting plant-based
Billed as the ‘road trip of a lifetime’, Prime Roots, a leading plant-based food company, is to set off on a nationwide tour of the US on a mission to give away 1 million slices of it’s freshly-sliced deli plant-based meats. Starting in Oregon on the 26th April the fully electric Cybertruck will visit various cities dishing out vegan sandwiches to all those who want to give their products a try. You can check out dates and locations on their website and by following the Prime Roots Insta feed (@primeroots) you’ll be able to see where the Cybertruck is and where it’s heading next.
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Blog Post: Previously on Vegan Slate …
Did Humans Get STDs From Animals?
These volatile times in which we live present humans with two major threats to our existence. One is climate change and the other is fatal contagious disease. AIDS has so far killed more than 35 million people globally but to cut through the stigma, in this article we explore the question: did humans get STDs from animals in the first place? …
Thanks so much for reading Vegan Slate and have a non-violent day 🙂
– Rohan
Vegan Slate