Scarletta and Sloane’s Artisan completes full transition to sourcing cage-free eggs in 2024
Humane Society International / Southeast Asia
HSI
BANGKOK—Humane Society International in Thailand is celebrating the notable recent achievement of Scarletta and Sloane’s Artisan, a restaurant group and pasta manufacturer, which announced a commitment to exclusively use cage-free egg and egg products as of October 2024. The commitment came about when the group conducted a review on how to improve animal welfare in its supply chain, and Humane Society International facilitated connections to cage-free egg producers. Scarletta and Sloane’s Artisan has already implemented cage-free eggs for use at its restaurants (Scarletta Pasta Bar and Salad Smith) and in the products it sells to other restaurants and retailers. HSI supported the company’s transition by recommending producers that meet the science-based animal welfare requirements that allow birds to express their important natural behaviors such as nesting and perching.
The majority of the 95.8 million hens used for egg production in Thailand spend their lives in wire cages with each hen provided no more space than the size of an A4 sheet of paper. The cage is so small that hens cannot spread their wings or take more than a few steps. In such production systems, hens are unable to express important natural behavior, including nesting, perching and dustbathing, all of which are possible in cage-free systems. Hens are sentient, intelligent and sociable animals. Scientific studies have shown that they empathize with their chicks, enjoy social activities such as dustbathing, and can anticipate the future, which in turn affects their decision making.
Scarletta and Sloane’s Artisan isn’t planning to stop at cage-free eggs; the company is looking into other animal welfare and sustainability improvements for its supply chain. The company understands the importance of its transition to cage-free eggs and hopes it will create a ripple effect in Thai society.
“We are passionate about quality food, sustainability impacts, and animal welfare. We started using cage-free eggs in 2020 for some of our products and will be completing our transition to 100% cage-free eggs in the last quarter of 2024. We will continue to use only cage-free eggs going forward for all brands. All our quality-driven products are made by hand in our own production facility by passionate individuals,” said Joe Sloane, founder and managing director of Scarletta and Sloane’s Artisan.
Lalada Tangjerdjaras, Thailand program manager of farm animal welfare and protection at Humane Society International said, “Joe Sloane and his team at Scarletta and Sloane’s Artisan are passionate about animal welfare and quickly chose to stop using any eggs from hens confined to cages. We applaud this strong cage-free commitment and are available to support companies looking to improve animal welfare.”
ENDS
Media contact: Lalada Tangjerdjaras, Thailand program manager for farm animal welfare and protection at Humane Society International, ltangjerdjaras@hsi.org
Humane Society International/UK calls on the Government to conduct an urgent review of the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board’s goals and spending priorities.
Humane Society International / United Kingdom
Stock Photography
LONDON— As the second round of a Government-backed multi-million pound ‘Let’s Eat Balanced’ campaign launches today, explicitly aimed at encouraging the public to eat more red meat and dairy, charity Humane Society International/UK says promoting climate-costly diets directly contradicts Labour’s manifesto health and nature goals and calls on farming Minister Daniel Zeichner to commission an urgent review. The campaign has been launched by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, a non-departmental public body, accountable to the UK Parliament through Defra Ministers, with board members appointed by the Secretary of State for Defra.
HSI/UK says a review is needed into the AHDB’s goals and spending priorities. HSI/UK’s analysis of Defra’s departmental spending figures shows that between January and June 2024, the AHDB spent over £2.5million on pro-meat propaganda, equating to at least 42% of AHDB total expenditure (£6.1million) (for line items over £25,000).
Animal agriculture accounts for an estimated 16.5% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, similar to the emissions from all global transportation. The Climate Change Committee says reducing meat and dairy consumption is essential to reach the UK’s legally binding climate targets and specifically recommended that Defra “Take low-cost, low-regret actions to encourage a 20% shift away from all meat by 2030, rising to 35% by 2050, and a 20% shift from dairy products by 2030, demonstrating leadership in the public sector whilst improving health.” This goal was reported as ‘overdue’ in the Committee’s 2023 annual report.
In its July 2024 report to Parliament the Climate Change Committee explicitly criticized the AHDB for continuing “to invest in proactive marketing campaigns to encourage meat and dairy consumption, despite the evidence showing that a reduction in meat and dairy consumption supports a shift towards low-carbon, sustainable and healthy diets.” One of their “priority policy recommendations” to the Government is to “Empower people to make low-carbon choices by communicating the most impactful ways to reduce emissions, such as changing car travel, home energy use and dietary behaviours… and support people to make these choices.”
Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns and public affairs for Humane Society International/UK, said “This AHDB campaign is reckless self-sabotage on Labour’s health and climate policy ambitions. As Ministers get to grips with how to deliver on manifesto pledges to reduce non-communicable diseases like heart attacks and cancers, and to cut greenhouse gas emissions, it makes zero sense for Defra to be quietly processing invoices for a lavish public marketing campaign that completely undermines both policy goals.
By law, the AHDB exists to help ‘improve the ways in which the industry contributes to sustainable development’ yet this year almost half of its spend has been on a resolutely head-in-the-sand campaign trying to cling on to unhealthy and unsustainable over-consumption of meat and dairy. We urge the new Labour Government to recalibrate the AHDB to allow it to prioritise playing a positive role in marketing the UK’s horticultural produce, including vegetables, legumes and grains, and stop fixating on flogging dead cows, sheep and pigs.”
In addition to drawing criticism from the CCC, the AHDB’s campaign was criticized by health professionals in May for its “inaccurate and misleading public health messaging”, noting that the campaign is “at odds with established scientific evidence on healthy and sustainable diets” and makes “suggestive ‘health benefits’ whilst ignoring the guidance to limit meat intake, particularly red and processed meat”.
The AHDB’s expenditure, including that for the ‘Let’s Eat Balanced’ campaign, is funded by an industry levy. However, information obtained through Freedom of Information requests this year revealed that the £4.6million campaign was approved by former farming Minister, former dairy farmer Mark Spencer.
Against a backdrop of European governments including Denmark, Germany and Norway actively promoting more plant-based eating, and introducing higher taxes on meat production, HSI/UK condemns the ‘Let’s Eat Balanced’ campaign as a regressive initiative that makes the UK look out of sync with European momentum towards people and planet friendly food and farming policies.
Notes
Labour’s 2024 election manifesto includes a commitment to “take preventative public health measures to tackle the biggest killers and support people to live longer, healthier lives.” It also states that “Labour will ensure the institutional framework for policy making reflects our commitments to reach net zero and meet our carbon budgets.” and Labour “will deliver for nature, taking action to meet our Environment Act targets, and will work in partnership with civil society, communities and business to restore and protect our natural world.”
(a) increasing efficiency or productivity in the industry;
(b) improving marketing in the industry;
(c) improving or developing services that the industry provides or could provide to the community; and
(d) improving the ways in which the industry contributes to sustainable development.
Defra reporting on AHDB spends over £25,000, January–June 2024. Line items for ‘Let’s Eat Balanced’ campaign include advertising agency costs, creative Gen Z partnership agency fees, and online banner placement with Sainsbury’s.
Month
Spend naming ‘Let’s Eat Balanced’ campaign
Total AHDB spend for month
January
£70,680
£669,934
February
£1,290,996
£1,916,876
March
£1,006,171
£1,993,229
April
£137,9191
£535,666
May
–
£645,358
June
£90,465
£410,567
Total
£2,596,231
£6,171,630
Based on a conservative interpretation of Defra’s spend reporting, 42% of the AHDB’s expenditure for January-June 2024 was on the ‘Let’s Eat Balanced’ and ‘Love Pork’ campaigns designed to convince the public to eat more red meat and dairy.
Media contact: Sally Ivens, senior specialist media and communications for HSI/UK ;sivens@hsi.org
Humane Society International / Global
dusanpetkovic
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—We, the undersigned organizations, welcome the endorsement of more than 120 countries to the COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health, which emphasizes the importance of integrating health into climate policies.
In particular, we appreciate the recognition of the climate benefits of “shifts to sustainable healthy diets.” This is a critical step forward, and important actions lie ahead to implement the Declaration’s objectives and promises.
The Climate and Health Declaration notes the importance of collaborating across “human, animal, environment, and climate health challenges.” Sustainable and healthy food systems are pivotal to this interdependence. With its poor animal husbandry systems, industrial animal agriculture can be a powerful incubator of diseases. The “One Health” approach is crucial in tackling issues such as zoonotic disease and antimicrobial resistance.
A decisive shift away from unsustainable food production practices associated with industrial animal agriculture is urgent. Equally crucial, is the definition and direction of the transition needed. Our current global food system fails to address the inequalities in our diets, resulting in issues such as hunger and obesity. The rising global consumption of animal-based foods negatively impacts health and breaches multiple planetary boundaries, namely climate, land use change, biodiversity loss, freshwater use and nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, thereby increasing the risk of disease.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change notes the multiple benefits of a “transition to more plant-based consumption and reduced consumption of animal-based foods,” including benefits to biodiversity and forests as well as lowering risks of many non-communicable diseases. As an example, the IPCC states that shifts to healthy and sustainable plant-based diets could reduce emissions by up to 8 giga tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.
Countries must now act to support sustainable food production as well as sustainable diets—through public education, government legislation and fiscal incentives in order to deliver effective, long-term solutions. We look forward to working with governments to implement the Declaration in a way that delivers healthy, sustainable diets for people, animals and the planet.
COP28 is a decisive moment to drive ambitious action on climate and health. We must rise to the global challenges we face and convert words into action.
Signatories include: Aquatic Life Institute, Brighter Green, Compassion in World Farming, FOUR PAWS, Humane Society International, Mercy For Animals, Plant Based Treaty, Tzu Chi Foundation, ProVeg International and World Animal Protection.
Baan Ying Family commits to only use free-range organic eggs in future locations
Humane Society International / Southeast Asia
David Paul Morris, HSUS
Update: As of September 2023, Bann Ying Family has published that it no longer buys eggs from caged hens.
BANGKOK, Thailand—Restaurant group Baan Ying Family adopted a new animal welfare policy to use 100% free-range organic eggs. The group runs six restaurant brands including Baan Ying, Baan Ying Plant Based, Uma Uma, Cosmos Café, Isaa Isaan and Fatt Chicken.
In Thailand, the majority of the 95.8 million hens kept for egg production spend their entire lives in wire cages smaller than an A4-sized sheet of paper, preventing them from spreading their wings or taking more than a single step. In these battery cage systems, hens are unable to express important natural behavior, including nesting, perching and dustbathing, all of which are possible in cage-free systems. The policy builds on a 2019 commitment and applies to future locations.
“When we started looking for free-range eggs in 2017, there weren’t enough available for our businesses. We partnered with Naeville Organic Farm to create a brand of cage-free eggs to distribute within Baan Ying Family of restaurants, consumers, and any corporates who are interested in another natural and premium egg selection. We would like to ensure the highest level of raw materials and customer satisfaction that comes from good animal welfare standards for hens and every animal,” said Mr. Songsorn Jansanchai, Managing Director of Baan Ying Family.
Mr. Songsorn shared, “We have the foundation of establishing the business from family. We understand the basics of creating good business by involving participants to engage with our journey of success. In doing so, we need to pay attention to animals, human beings, and the environment to expand our strong customer base for our long-term goal. We want to engage our team, customers, and animals in our path by selecting good natural products ensuring animal welfare.”
Lalada Tangjerdjaras, Thailand Program Manager of Farm Animal Welfare and Protection for Humane Society International, said: “We are delighted with the Baan Ying Family’s new cage-free egg procurement policy. This decision underscores their steadfast dedication to hen welfare, a commitment they have consistently upheld since 2019, regardless of where they operate. Their unwavering commitment is sending a clear message: the future of egg production in Thailand is cage-free. This sets an inspiring example for other companies in Thailand to follow.”
Baan Ying Family joins other multinational companies that have made similar global cage-free egg commitments that apply to Thailand and the rest of Asia, including Central Retail Group, AccorHotels, Hilton Hotels and Resorts, Sodexo, Nestle and Mondelez International, among others.
Humane Society International’s work to improve the welfare of animals in agriculture is both science-based and collaborative. The organization works with companies, farmers, processors, scientists and certifiers to support a transition to cage-free housing systems, and offers a wide range of support to companies including farm visits, consumer education, and corporate roundtables and workshops to enhance their supply chains.
ENDS
Media contact: Lalada Tangjerdjaras, Thailand Program Manager for Farm Animal Welfare and Protection at Humane Society International : ltangjerdjaras@hsi.org
As the UN climate convention ends, Humane Society International is encouraged by recognition of food system’s contribution to the climate crisis
Humane Society International / Global
HSI team at COP27. HSI.
SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt—Humane Society International is encouraged by the long overdue recognition among climate talk negotiators that food systems not only contribute to the ever-worsening climate crisis but can also serve as a key to mitigating it.
For the first time ever, this year’s climate talks held an official day dedicated to negotiations on food and agriculture. Under the banner of the Food4Climate pavilion, HSI co-organized and hosted three side events that brought together government delegates, policymakers, farmers, businesses, climate activists and community leaders to discuss how we can shift our food systems in a way that is better for animals, people and the planet.
Audiences heard about HSI’s successful work in Latin America, as an example of how government procurement and diet change is not only improving climate emissions, but also giving millions of schoolchildren access to healthy, sustainable and plant-rich food. This is a system that has been shown to work and can be scaled around the world to help countries increase their progress toward reaching climate goals.
However, despite the engagement by a record number of organizations bringing scalable mitigation strategies to the event, animal agriculture continued to remain the proverbial “cow in the room”. Official discussions around food systems sidestepped the critical issue of how we can lower emissions through reducing production and consumption of foods from industrial animal production, which is a leading driver of climate emissions that is on par with all transportation in the world combined. The menus at COP 27 themselves offered a range of resource-intensive animal-based foods.
In addition, when emissions from the livestock sector was discussed, there was increased focus on proposed solutions involving low-impact technical measures, such as feed additives, rather than more ambitious and impactful measures such as dietary shifts and global livestock number reductions. HSI is particularly concerned that the meat industry’s disinformation tactic to maintain the status quo by shifting the discussion away from meat and dairy reduction measures threatens the now barely alive 1.5°C target.
President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States and CEO of Humane Society International, Kitty Block said: “Even after a productive conference, we cannot ignore that world leaders still failed to make and execute ambitious pledges that address one of the biggest anthropogenic greenhouse gas emitters in the world: animal agriculture. As a global community, we need clear policies and targets that shift farming toward plant-based food production. While it is clear the conversation has started, it is equally apparent the world still has a long way to go—and we are running out of time.”
Although COP27 may be over, the work to combat the impact of intensive animal farming on animals, people and the planet continues. Particularly in countries where the average consumption of animal products is above recommended intakes for planetary and human health, HSI will continue to engage with global leaders on this topic, advocating for policies that focus on shifting diets to more humane and healthier, plant-rich models; that support farmers in transitioning to more resilient, plant-based agriculture; and that foster and promote innovation and growth in the protein landscape.
Stephanie Maw, public affairs and campaigns officer for HSI/United Kingdom, attended the conference, and said: “While there were many conversations at COP27, particularly at the Food4Climate pavilion, about the urgent need for global food system reform, leader negotiations around this topic were disappointingly lacking in ambition. Through our programs around the world, HSI has shown that policies that support a more resilient, plant-centric global food system such as public procurement shifts towards plant-rich models can be achieved successfully and at scale. We leave this COP more determined than ever to inspire global leaders to include concrete measures and tools for supporting diet change in their national action plans and policies.”
Julie Janovsky, vice president of farm animal welfare at HSI said, “UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres correctly told delegates on Nov. 7 that the world was on the ‘highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.’ If we are to achieve the Paris Agreement target of limiting global temperatures to a 1.5˚C increase from pre-industrial levels, we must move past the fantasy that low-impact solutions are merely a tap on the brakes. A global transformation of our food production system, as well as consumption habits, is imperative for human and planetary health. If we are truly serious about reducing our speed, we must stem the increase and ultimately reduce the number of animals globally raised, fed and slaughtered for consumption through a systemic transition to climate-friendly, plant-centric food production and diets.”
Thayana Oliveira, food policy manager at HSI in Brazil, said: “Through our programs together with Mercy for Animals Brazil, HSI is providing practical models of how amending procurement policies at scale can help meet sustainability goals—models that we will use in our continued advocacy for food systems transformation. In the city of Salvador, for example, more than 10 million meals are being transitioned to plant-based every year across the city’s municipal schools. Not only are we providing children with new nutritious, healthy options and saving hundreds of thousands of animals lives every year, but we are also achieving impactful benefits for the environment. Through this program, Salvador is saving an estimated 75,000 tons of CO2-equivalent emissions per year, which is the equivalent of approximately 357 million miles driven by car, to say nothing of the savings in water and land use.”
ENDS
Media contact: Madeline Bove, media relations specialist: mbove@humanesociety.org ; 213-248-1548
Humane Society International / Global
Show world leaders there is support for a transition toward a more resilient plant-centric food system.
Reassessing our food systems and intensive livestock farming must be high on the COP27 agenda
Humane Society International / Europe
dhughes9/iStock.com
BONN, Germany—Today, given the urgent need to make transformative shifts across food systems World Animal Protection and Humane Society International hosted an event, ‘A just protein transition for sustainability, biodiversity and the climate’, at the UN Bonn Climate Change Conference. The panelists highlighted the need for more attention to be placed on industrial livestock production as a significant driver of climate change at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) to be held in Egypt in November. They are also asking for policymakers to take comprehensive action to drive a global transformation of our food production system and consumption habits, if we are to have any hope of meeting Paris Agreement targets.
The panel made-up of experts in food, climate, and animal welfare made the case for why a just protein transition is a crucial step towards reducing emissions. Speakers highlighted the importance for a just, humane and sustainable protein transition for Asia, as the largest meat producing region in the world, accounting for around 45% of total meat production, and forecasted to account for 53% of global trade by 2029.
“The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate report is clear: we are not on track to keep global temperatures to 1.5 degrees of warming as per the Paris Agreement,” said Stephanie Maw, public affairs and campaign officer for Humane Society International UK. “We need rapid transformations across all systems, including food systems, to avoid the worst climate impacts and address the mass animal suffering caused by industrial farming.”
“The scale of the suffering of billions of animals trapped in intensive factory farms is alarming and its very existence should shock and shame us, but it is also doing untold damage to our health, to biodiversity, to workers and to our entire planet,” said World Animal Protection CEO Steve McIvor.
“With a human population projected to surpass 9.7 billion people by 2050, combined with growing demand for meat and dairy, particularly across Asia and Africa, the spread of industrial livestock systems around the world will significantly increase their already devastating impact the environment, climate, public health, human rights and animal welfare in the years to come. Enabled in a timely manner, a just transition in livestock production would not only help mitigate the climate crisis, but could also serve as a strong driver of job creation, social justice, poverty reduction and better public health,” said Lasse Bruun, 50by40 CEO.
In response to these trends, World Animal Protection and 50by40, brought together 40 Asia-based civil society organisations working on climate change, public health, finance, smallholder farming, and human and consumer rights in March 2022 to map out the negative impacts of how protein is currently being produced, and to identify pathways for a shift toward a just, humane and sustainable protein system in Asia.
“Asia’s footprint as the largest meat producing region with significant growth forecast over the next 10 years is of great concern, will spike the region’s greenhouse gas emissions. The projection that Southeast Asia will become the fastest growing importer of soya for animal feed by 2022, will further aggravate climate change by threatening biodiversity and forest conservation. Given this context, the Communique titled ‘Asia Civil Society Call for a Just, Humane and Sustainable Protein Transition’ and its advocacy strategy, is an important and timely initiative to disrupt this unsustainable and climate-damaging trend,” said Nithi Nesadurai, Director and Regional Coordinator of Climate Action Network Southeast Asia.
ENDS
Media Contacts:
Elodie Guillon, network manager, World Animal Protection, +66818603483, elodieguillon@worldanimalprotection.org
David Garrahy, external affairs manager, World Animal Protection, +32 470 17 44 87, DavidGarrahy@worldanimalprotection.org
Shweta Sood, head of programme, 50by40, + 91 99717 56347, shweta.sood@50by40.org
Madeline Bove, media relations specialist, Humane Society International, 213-248-1548, mbove@humanesociety.org
Notes to editors:
The communique calls on world leaders at COP27 to put a halt to further expansion of factory farming systems and to recognise that a just, humane and sustainable protein transition is crucial to ensure that our global food system is in alignment with the goals of the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the objectives of the UN Food Summit and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
According to the latest IPCC report, global carbon emissions need to be cut by at least 43% in the next eight years if we are to have any chance of meeting the 1.5 C warming target. The IPCC report also noted that even if fossil fuel emissions were halted now, current trends in global food systems emissions would make it impossible to reach the Paris Agreement goal
Globally, the livestock sector already accounts for at least 14.5% of current global greenhouse gas emissions, according to United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Under a “business-as-usual” scenario, livestock production is projected to take up 81% of the global 1.5°C GHG budget by 2050, according to GRAIN and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).
Humane Society International / Europe
vaaseenaa/iStock.com
BRUSSELS—The European Parliament has adopted a resolution which calls for the EU Commission and Member States to help consumers eat a more healthy, plant-based diet and reduce overconsumption of meat to reduce cancer risks. It also calls for greater investment in non-animal biomedical test methods to replace obsolete animal models in cancer research. Europe accounts for a quarter of the world’s cancer cases with 1,3 million EU deaths each year.
The adopted resolution on Strengthening Europe in the fight against cancer—towards a comprehensive and coordinated strategy comes in advance of Cancer Prevention Action Week, and follows the EU’s launch of a 4 billion euro Beating Cancer Plan. Amongst a raft of other measures, the resolution:
“emphasises the role of a healthy diet in preventing and limiting the incidence and the recurrence of cancer, and stresses that individual cancer risks can be reduced by an increased consumption of sustainably-produced plants and plant-based foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes;
emphasises the need to address the overconsumption of meat and ultra-processed products, and products high in sugars, salt and fats;
asks the Commission and the Member States to encourage and help consumers to make informed, healthy and sustainable choices about food products by means of the adoption of a mandatory and harmonised EU front-of-pack nutritional label based on robust and independent scientific evidence;
supports fiscal measures to make fresh foods (such as fruits and vegetables, pulses, legumes and wholegrains) more affordable and accessible at national level;
calls for comprehensive nutrition public campaigns and supports nutrition counselling to be available in primary healthcare.”
Dr Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs for Humane Society International/Europe, said:
“There is mounting scientific evidence that the consumption of meat and dairy products can have a detrimental impact on human health. The World Health Organisation warns that processed meats are carcinogenic, that red meat probably increases your risk of bowel cancer and that eating the equivalent of less than two slices of bacon a day increases your chance of colorectal cancer by 18%. So it is heartening to see the European Parliament acknowledge the risk factors associated with animal products, as well as the protective benefits of eating a more plant-based diet. Alongside reducing climate change emissions and sparing animals suffering on factory farms, the human health advantages of eating more plant-based foods present another compelling reason to transition Europe to a more resilient food system.”
The adopted resolution also highlights the importance of non-animal research methodologies as more efficient and reliable in cancer research, and recognises the significant role of real-world data, mathematical modelling, artificial intelligence and digital tools in developing innovative and cost-efficient cancer treatments, which will reduce the use of animals in research.
Cancer is one of the main areas of experimental animal use in Europe, using nearly one million animals in 2017 (the latest EU statistics available), with animal use increasing despite the very poor translation of animal data to human use. The largest proportion of drug failures is in cancer, where there is approximately 5% likelihood of a drug being approved following animal trials. This means that 95% of the drugs that seem to offer hope for cancer treatment when tested in animal models (mostly mice) fail to have an impact for patients. The adopted resolution:
“stresses the importance of investing in the development of non-animal research methodologies [to] increase efficiency in research, and reduce unnecessary and often less reliable experiments on animals;
underlines that non-animal methods for testing the carcinogenicity of environmental chemicals, such as testing strategies focused on the underlying biological mechanisms that lead to cancer, should provide more relevant information than the animal-based methods currently in use for chemical safety assessment, thus enabling authorities to take swifter measures to limit exposure to harmful chemicals that could lead to cancer.”
Helder Constantino, director of research policy for HSI’s Research & Toxicology department, added:
“The EU Beating Cancer initiative offers an excellent opportunity to promote and seek additional funding for more advanced and human biology-based research approaches with the potential to overcome the limitations associated with current animal models and provide more human data to tackle the dramatic rise in cancer in Europe. HSI welcomes the Parliament’s emphasis on the importance of investing in new, non-animal research technologies, such as next-generation computing and miniature human organoids. , Non-animal methods for testing the cancer-causing potential of environmental chemicals should provide more human-relevant information than the old, slow and unreliable rodent tests currently in use. This will enable authorities to take swifter measures to reduce human exposure to chemicals of concern.”
Although the adopted resolution is non-binding, Humane Society International urges the European Commission and Member States to take note of its crucial message, and to continue to take concerted efforts to promote the protein transition, as well as to grant additional funding for the development and use of non-animal research methods.
Background information
Following the European Commission’s adoption of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan in 2020, the European Parliament established a Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA) in recognition of the disproportionate impact of cancer on Europeans. The number of cancer diagnoses in Europe is projected to increase from 3.5 million to more than 4.3 million newly diagnosed cases by 2035.
The WHO has classified processed meats, including ham, bacon, salami, sausages and frankfurters, as a Group 1 carcinogen (i.e. known to cause cancer). Processed meats have been linked to increased risk of colorectal cancer, with experts concluding that each 50g portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. Red meat, such as beef, lamb and pork, has been classified by the WHO as a Group 2A carcinogen (i.e. probably causes cancer). Consumption of red meat was linked to colorectal cancer, as well as pancreatic and prostate cancers.
All animal proteins stimulate the growth hormone IGF-1; the more IGF-1 present in your bloodstream, the higher the risk for cancer development. Research shows that only those following a fully plant-based, vegan diet will experience cancer protection due to decreased growth hormone and increased binding protein levels.[1], [2]
Research shows that high-fibre diets protect against colon cancer and can even increase survival of those already diagnosed with the disease. Stomach cancer and breast cancer are less common with high-fibre diets. The best sources of fibre are minimally processed whole grains, beans, peas, lentils, vegetables, and fruits.[3],[4],[5],[6], [7], [8], [9]Beta-carotene, present in dark green, yellow, and orange vegetables, also helps protect against lung cancer and may help prevent cancers of the bladder, mouth, larynx, oesophagus and breast.
In October 2020, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) produced a freely available knowledge base of over 900 non-animal models for breast cancer research. According to the JRC, while “breast cancer is now estimated to be the most frequently occurring cancer, accounting for 13.3% of all new cancer diagnoses during 2020 in EU-27 countries”, disseminating human-biology based methods is key to develop new treatments because “current breast cancer research is too reliant on animal models, mostly using rodents. But rodents provide a poor model for human diseases.”
According to a scientific expert group of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, “It is now well recognized by the scientific and regulatory community that the conventional approach to carcinogenicity testing, particularly the use of the rodent cancer bioassay has many limitations in terms of reliability and relevance. It is not considered sufficiently fit for the purpose of human health hazard assessment”.
ENDS
Media contact: Yavor Gechev: +359889468098; ygechev@hsi.org
[1] Allen NE, Appleby PN, Davey GK, Kaaks R, Rinaldi S, et al. The associations of diet with serum insulin-like growth factor I and its main binding proteins in 292 women meat-eaters, vegetarians, and vegans. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2002;11:1441-8.
[2] Allen NE, Appleby PN, Davey GK, Key TJ. Hormones and diet: low insulin-like growth factor-I but normal bioavailable androgens in vegan men. Br J Cancer 2000;83:95-7.
[3] Song M, Wu K, Meyerhardt JA. Fiber intake and survival after colorectal cancer diagnosis. JAMA Oncol. 2018;4:71-79.
[4] Ben Q, Sun Y, Chai R, Qian A, Xu B, Yuan Y. Dietary fiber intake reduces risk of colorectal adenoma: a meta-analysis. Gastroenterology. 2014;146:689 – 699.
[5] O’Keef SJ, Li JV, Lahti L, et al. Fat, fibre and cancer risk in African Americans and rural Africans. Nat Commun. 2015;6:6342-6356
[6] Zhu B, Sun Y, Qi L, Zhong R, Miao X. Dietary legume consumption reduces risk of colorectal cancer: evidence from a meta-analysis of cohort studies. Sci Rep. 2015;5:8797-8804
[7] Risch HA, Jain M, Choi NW, et al. Dietary factors and the incidence of cancer of the stomach. Am J Epidemiol. 1985;122:947-959.
[8] Lubin F, Wax Y, Modan B, et al. Role of fat, animal protein and dietary fiber in breast cancer etiology: a case control study. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1986;77:605-612.
[9] Farvid MS, Eliassen AH, Cho E, Liao X, Chen WY, Willett WC. Dietary fiber intake in young adults and breast cancer risk. Pediatrics. 2016;137:e20151226 – e20151239
We can’t tackle climate crisis without cutting intensive animal farming as world’s second largest human-caused GHG emitter
Humane Society International / United Kingdom
dhughes9/iStock.com
LONDON—As COP26 prepares to reveal the final pledges focused on cutting emissions from energy, transport and other sectors, campaigners from Humane Society International, one of the largest global animal protection NGOs in the world, say the total omission of targets to reduce livestock farming and cut meat and dairy production and consumption, represents a ludicrous failure considering the sector is the world’s second largest emitter of human-induced greenhouse gases.
Stefanie McNerney, plantbased solutions manager at Humane Society International, says: “Whilst there were many conversations at COP26 side events and press conferences about the urgent need for global food system reform to cut meat and dairy production and consumption, this vital climate mitigation strategy was depressingly absent from the COP26 leader negotiations. Current pledges on methane, coal, forests and transport still look set to put us way off target to limit global temperature rise, so it is a ludicrous failure to ignore the opportunity to limit one of the biggest greenhouse gas emitters in the world, animal agriculture. We need policies and targets that shift farming toward plant-based food production, and the clear lack of ambition to do so is deeply troubling. We have reached a stage in the climate crisis where so called technical solutions such as cattle feed additives are nowhere near enough to tackle emissions from this sector. The climate clock is ticking and it is well past time to move beyond these low-impact greenwashing distractions offered by Big Ag that merely perpetuate the growth of an unsustainable industry. The science is clear that that’s not an option. Will governments follow the science and plan a just transition to a more climate-resilient, plant-centric food system, or will we be waiting until the cows come home for them to stop ignoring the cow in the room?”
Key points:
Despite world leaders at COP26 acknowledging that food production not only contributes to climate change, but also holds one of the keys to mitigating it, dialogues around this sector lacked ambition, with most official conversations focusing on low-impact strategies such as modifying livestock feed, tackling nitrous oxide in fertilizer and rewilding, whilst completely omitting discussion of high impact actions such as livestock reduction and diet change.
HSI welcomes the pledges on methane reductions and bringing an end to deforestation. However, animal agriculture is one of the largest contributors to both methane emissions and deforestation, and these issues cannot be addressed without reducing global livestock numbers and shifting to more plant-centric food production and consumption.
Diverting the discussion toward short-sighted mitigation tactics whilst willfully ignoring and even shooting down the topic of livestock reduction and diet change is nothing short of greenwashing by the livestock industry. Governments that are serious about climate change must address emissions from animal agriculture, and that means reducing the number of animals raised for consumption and transforming our food system to a more sustainable, resilient, plant-centric system that is just for all.
On the subject of missing the point, in the draft CMA decision by the COP26 president, the words ‘animal agriculture’ and ‘farming’, let alone ‘livestock reduction’ do not even feature once.
The other cow in the room was the cow served on the COP plates. The provision of meat on the menu at a climate conference was disappointing. The CO2equivalent labelling on all food served at the conference clearly demonstrated the very large carbon footprint of beef dishes compared to plant-based options. The juxtaposition of emissions between a beef burger weighing in at a hefty 3.3 kg CO2 e compared to a plant-based burger at just 0.2 kg CO2 e literally served up an obvious mitigation strategy on a plate—one that was a glaring omission from the COP26 negotiations.
HSI’s #TheCowInTheRoom campaign called on COP26 to acknowledge and act on the climate damaging impacts of intensive animal agriculture. The campaign has the backing of leading plant-based food companies and investors including Beyond Investing, Mosa Meat, Eat Just, Wicked Kitchen and Linda McCartney Foods, as well as celebrities such as Moby, Billie Eilish, Joaquin Phoenix, Alan Cumming, Alicia Silverstone, Mary McCartney, Leona Lewis, Martin Freeman, Lily Cole and Stephen Fry. Earlier this week the campaigners handed in a petition of more than 70,000 signatures with campaign partners ProVeg International and Four Paws.
YouGov poll shows over half of Brits support government-led campaign promoting plant-based foods. If Europe is to achieve its climate goals by 2030, it must reduce meat consumption and incentivise the consumption of plant-rich diets.
Humane Society International / United Kingdom
HSI
GLASGOW—Some of the world’s biggest plant-based food manufacturers and investors including Beyond Investing, Eat Just, Linda McCartney Foods and Wicked Kitchen have added their voice to #TheCowInTheRoom campaign at the COP26 climate change conference, calling on world leaders to stop ignoring animal agriculture in climate change mitigation policies and targets. The letter comes as a new YouGov opinion poll shows that over half of Brits (51%) would support the UK government initiating a joint campaign with supermarkets and food service / retail companies to actively promote the benefits of plant-based foods.
In an open letter to COP26 presented at the conference by Humane Society International, together with ProVeg International and Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, 16 companies urge world leaders to include animal agriculture, and meat and dairy reduction targets, in formal COP26 discussions. A citizen petition of over 70,000 signatures was also submitted to COP26 by the campaigners, with the backing of some of the world’s biggest celebrities including Joaquin Phoenix, Moby, Billie Eilish, Alan Cumming, Alicia Silverstone, Leona Lewis, Lily Cole and Stephen Fry.
Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International/UK, said from COP26: “We simply cannot afford to ignore the cow in the room any longer—the science is clear that targets to reduce meat and dairy production and consumption are crucial if we are to meet internationally agreed upon climate targets. But while there is clear consumer and corporate appetite for a plant-based shift, politicians appear to be asleep at the wheel, failing to grasp both the urgent need and multiple opportunities to catalyse the normalisation of plant-centric diets. The Methane Pledge is a prime example of this; to reduce this potent GHG we simply need fewer cows, not just technological fixes that produce slightly less burpy cows.”
The food system is responsible for 30% of the European Union’s greenhouse gas emissions, of which 17% is attributable to livestock production. Moving to more plant-rich diets could decrease the EU’s carbon footprint by 50%.
ProVeg says European meat and dairy reduction targets should be bold to achieve Europe’s climate goals. Based on leading research, ProVeg calculates that by 2040:
The consumption of meat needs to be reduced by 79%.
The consumption of milk and dairy needs to be reduced by between 74 and 83%.
The consumption of eggs needs to be reduced by 68%.
The consumption of fish and seafood needs to be reduced by 65%.
Jasmijn de Boo, vice-president at ProVeg International, comments: “The urgency of reducing our global intake of meat, fish, eggs and dairy to tackle the climate crisis must be addressed, especially now that world leaders have reached an agreement during COP26 to tackle deforestation, and set a 30% methane reduction target. We need to move towards more plant-rich diets now to save our forests and to save the planet. If Europe is to achieve its climate goals by 2030, it will have to reduce the current intake of meat by 79% and incentivise the consumption of plant-rich diets. We need to go further and show leadership in order to have a just and fair global transition to more plant-based food production and consumption.”
Dr. Ming-nan Lin from the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation and vice superintendent of Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital, comments: “Global leaders and the private sector must engage with faith leaders and community partners to inspire respect for all life, with compassion and love. There are clear connections between human health and planetary health. Zoonosis, vector-borne diseases, and certain non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease have inextricable links to our dietary habits. The public health benefits of a transition towards a plant-centric food system has undeniable co-benefits to the health and wellbeing of the planet as well.”
The animal agriculture industry breeds, raises and slaughters more than 88 billion land animals globally every year. The industry’s emissions—a staggering 20% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions–are on par with those emitted by the entire global transportation sector, and yet targets and strategies to reduce meat and dairy production and consumption are absent from climate change discussions.
Scientists, too, are calling for the need to transform our global food system into one that supports and protects planetary and human health. The 107 experts who prepared the report for the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change determined with high confidence that policies operating across the food system, including policies that influence dietary choices, would enable more sustainable land-use management, result in enhanced food security and low emissions trajectories, contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation, and improve public health.
Notes to editor:
Data on mentioned reduction targets can be found here.
Survey figures are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,749 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 29th – 30th October 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
Reference in this article to any specific commercial product or service, or the use of any brand, trade, firm or corporation name is for the information of the public only, and does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation or approval by Humane Society International or any of its affiliates of the product or service, or its producer or provider, and should not be construed or relied upon, under any circumstances, by implication or otherwise, as investment advice. The views and opinions of interviewees expressed in the article do not necessarily state or accurately reflect those of Humane Society International or any of its affiliates.
ENDS
Media Contacts:
Wendy Higgins, HSI director of international media: whiggins@hsi.org; + 44 (0)7989 972 423
