Free Republic

At this point it looks like most of our protein will be sourced from animals for some time to come, whether we like it or not, as it has for the past 100,000 years. Luckily, we can do this in ways that meet our climate goals and boost nutrition and animal welfare, Eurof Uppington writes. 2021 saw a strange and short-lived celebrity phenomenon. Out of nowhere, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey Jr, Katy Perry, Serena Williams and other A-listers announced personal investments in plant-based foodtech startups alongside venture capital funds and philanthropists. They were on a mission to save the planet,...

A massive fire broke out at Farina Farms Inc. in Marion County, Illinois, on Wednesday night, resulting in the deaths of millions of chickens. The farm is one of the largest free-range egg facilities in the country. The fire, which began around 6:30 p.m. along Highway 37, quickly escalated into a 5-alarm fire, requiring the intervention of at least 20 different fire departments from surrounding areas, according to WAND TV. Described as “humongous” by Marion County Sheriff Kevin Cripps, the fire engulfed multiple buildings spanning 200-300 yards in length.

Six people who shared a meal involving black bear meat kebabs have been diagnosed with trichinellosis, a parasitic zoonotic disease. In a new report released this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that in July 2022, a 29-year old hospitalized patient with suspected trichinellosis was reported to the Minnesota health department. His symptoms included fever, severe muscle aches, periorbital edema or eye swelling, and eosinophilia or the condition of elevated levels of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell. According to the report, a week prior to the symptoms appearing, the patient and eight other people...

Timothy Bundren must have heard wrong. The sun wasn’t up yet. He was still groggy from starting his morning routine of walking through chicken barns. His phone rang and his contact with the global meat company headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, just two hours south of his farm, started telling him he would no longer be raising chickens. Bundren, 52, didn’t believe him at first. Just hours later, he was supposed to meet with the bank about another loan to buy the farm down the road. Bundren waited an hour and then called the man back. The news didn’t change, but...

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) on Thursday reluctantly agreed with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R-FL) move to ban lab-grown meat in his state. “Pains me deeply to agree with Crash-and-Burn Ron, but I co-sign this,” Fetterman wrote in a social media post, commenting on a screenshot of an article headlined “DeSantis signs bill banning lab-grown meat.” “As a member of @SenateAgDems and as some dude who would never serve that slop to my kids, I stand with our American ranchers and farmers,” Fetterman continued: Pains me deeply to agree with Crash-and-Burn Ron, but I co-sign this. As a member of @SenateAgDems and...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill banning lab-grown meat in his state Wednesday, in what he described as an effort to “save our beef.” “Today, Florida is fighting back against the global elite’s plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish or bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals,” DeSantis said in a press release Wednesday. “Our administration will continue to focus on investing in our local farmers and ranchers, and we will save our beef.” The bill, S.B. 1084, makes it “unlawful” for people to “manufacture for sale, sell, hold or offer for...

Welcome to Delicious or Distressing, where we rate recent food memes, videos, and other entertainment news. Last week we discussed Trader Joe’s hot new mini totes. Lauren Sánchez, vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund and Jeff Bezos’ fiancée, announced Tuesday that the fund would commit $60 million to establish Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein. These centers plan to research and create new fake meats that ostensibly taste better, are better for us, and cost less to manufacture. The commitment is part of the $10 billion pledge that Bezos made in 2020 through the Bezos Earth Fund to fight climate...

Gut bacteria and a diet rich in the amino acid tryptophan can play a protective role against pathogenic E. coli, which can cause severe stomach upset, cramps, fever, intestinal bleeding and renal failure, according to a study. The research reveals how dietary tryptophan—an amino acid found mostly in animal products, nuts, seeds, whole grains and legumes—can be broken down by gut bacteria into small molecules called metabolites. It turns out a few of these metabolites can bind to a receptor on gut epithelial (surface) cells, triggering a pathway that ultimately reduces the production of proteins that E. coli use to...

New York City shelters are overwhelmed with migrants... But for companies like Tyson Foods Inc., struggling to fill unpopular jobs with a U.S. unemployment rate of 3.9%, this new population presents an alluring opportunity. The food processing company wants to hire 52,000 asylum seekers for factory jobs, offering a starting wage of $16.50 per hour along with benefits. The company understands and is aware that these are jobs that many find unpleasant, such as washing meat, placing the cuts into trays, final inspections for bones and packing meat, but believe this will help the refugees to start a life in...

New York State’s Attorney General Letitia James is targeting businesses, such as the major beef producer JBS USA, for alleged environmental misrepresentations. The lawsuit accuses JBS of increasing beef production during a climate crisis and failing to adhere to environmental regulations, including driving deforestation in the Amazon. “We will cut our own emissions by 30% in 2030 and eliminate Amazon deforestation from our supply chain within five years,” James’ office stated. ames seeks penalties and criticizes JBS for misleading consumers on sustainability. “When companies falsely advertise their commitment to sustainability, they are misleading consumers and endangering our planet.” “JBS USA’s...

Tony Ganios, renowned for his role in the 1981 beloved movie “Porky’s,” has passed away at the age of 64. Amanda Ganios, his fiancée, confirmed that the iconic actor passed away unexpectedly on Feb. 18.Amanda revealed that Tony succumbed to complications after undergoing a four-hour emergency surgery for a spinal cord infection on Saturday.She explained that the operation for the infection was successful, but by the next morning, he was placed on dialysis and subsequently suffered cardiac arrest. “I just love him so much,” Amanda conveyed to Fox News Digital. “I don’t know how else I can express it.”

Meat is good for you. There are experts who might disagree with me, and many researchers continue to search for evidence linking meat to heart disease, for example. But as a Harvard-trained, board-certified psychiatrist specializing in nutritional and metabolic psychiatry, I’ve long been curious about the relationship between food and brain health, as well as overall well-being. And in my research, I’ve yet to find a credible, plausible health argument against eating meat of any kind (including red meat, seafood, and poultry).

There is currently a war being waged against America that threatens the very liberty of our nation — and it’s one you might not expect. It's not the war on free speech or freedom of religion. It's the war on beef. Who better to discuss this war than American cattle rancher Shad Sullivan? Shad is the R-CALF USA Private Property Rights Committee chair. In this episode of "The Glenn Beck Podcast," Shad and Glenn discuss the “war on beef” and why it matters to everyday Americans. Shad explains the issues with California’s Prop 2 and Prop 12 and how they...

Three Pennsylvania State Troopers and seven other individuals spent several hours inside a building on Amos Miller’s Lancaster County farm while conducting a search on Jan. 4, 2024, eventually leaving with multiple coolers containing Miller’s property. Attempts were made by The Lancaster Patriot to enter the facility during the search, but a Pennsylvania State Trooper said, “we’re conducting a search warrant inside this building right now,” and told the reporter to leave the building until the search was completed. The search was conducted by employees of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, with Pennsylvania State Police offering assistance as needed. A...

The ongoing United Nations COP28 climate summit in Dubai is offering a wide variety of gourmet food options from vendors who serve beef, even as it prepares a report that is expected to call for the West to reduce consumption of beef. According to the summit's online portal, its food offerings include "juicy beef," "slabs of succulent meat," smoked wagyu burgers, Philly cheesesteaks and "melt-in-your-mouth BBQ" in addition to African street BBQ, fast casual Mexican fare and an Asian option that has a "touch of French flair." The revelation comes as the U.N. faces criticism for preparing a first-of-its-kind report...

California has been at the forefront of healthful eating and plant-based cuisine for decades, from restaurants like Chez Panisse in Berkeley to Michael’s in greater Los Angeles. But despite decades of offering meatless this or gluten-free that, some Southern California restaurants have recently decided that going entirely vegan is not a recipe for long-term financial success. After years of being vegan, some very well-known LA restaurants are adding meat, dairy or both to their menus to appeal to a larger audience. Even in a city like Los Angeles, which has consistently been named one of the most vegan-friendly cities for...

“‘Eat bugs, live in a pod,’ is not a meme. It’s their real agenda,” tweeted the conservative provocateur Mike Cernovich to 1.1 million followers last month. The tweet was responding to an anodyne Economist story about the role of meat consumption in global climate emissions. And unless you’re deep into online culture, it’s probably incomprehensible. Conservatives’ darker fantasies aren’t just about threats to a dietary staple but about threats to the liberty, bodily integrity, and masculinity of American men.

A lead United Nations agency overseeing food and agriculture policy is expected to issue a road map in the coming weeks which will call on the West, including America, to dramatically reduce its meat consumption. The UN's Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) will publish its so-called global food systems’ road map during the upcoming COP28 climate summit in Dubai which will kick off on Thursday and extend nearly two weeks until mid-December. FAO's first-of-its-kind document will recommend nations that "over-consume meat" to limit their consumption as part of a broader effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Bloomberg reported.

A lead United Nations agency overseeing food and agriculture policy is expected to issue a road map in the coming weeks which will call on the West, including America, to dramatically reduce its meat consumption. The UN's Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) will publish its so-called global food systems’ road map during the upcoming COP28 climate summit in Dubai which will kick off on Thursday and extend nearly two weeks until mid-December. FAO's first-of-its-kind document will recommend nations that "over-consume meat" to limit their consumption as part of a broader effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Bloomberg reported.

World leaders from developed nations will be pressured to “curb their excessive appetite for meat” during the United Nations’ upcoming COP28 annual climate conference, Bloomberg News reported Saturday. “Nations that over-consume meat will be advised to limit their intake while developing countries — where under-consumption of meat adds to a prevalent nutrition challenge — will need to improve their livestock farming,” wrote Bloomberg Journalist Agnieszka de Sousa.