school-scheme-EU

© European Commission

Milk- and Dairy Alternatives

7 Out of Ten Citizens Say EU Should Fund Milk Alternatives in School Canteens

72% of participants in a public consultation, as presented yesterday by the European Commission, said that the EU should fund plant-based milk alternatives in school canteens. The organisations ProVeg International and Compassion in World Farming are calling on the EU to follow this recommendation in its ongoing review of the scheme that provides healthy food to schoolchildren. The ProVeg petition and social media campaign with the hashtag #schoolmilk, urging the EU to include plant-based milk in school meals had already exceeded 40,000 signatures back in June, reinforced by additional campaigning by The Vegan Society this September on World School Milk Day. Olga Kikou, Head of Compassion in World Farming EU, states: “These are excellent results that must pave the trajectory of the EU scheme funding …

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Veal Cow Compassion in World Farming

© Compassion in World Farming

Politics & Law

European Commission Approves End The Slaughter Age Initiative to Transfer Animal Ag Subsidies to Alt-Protein

The European Commission has approved a European Citizens’ Initiative (ICE) titled End the Slaughter Age. If it passes, subsidies currently given to the livestock industry would instead go to alt-protein. This would mean that plant-based and cellular agriculture companies receive tax breaks and subsidies that could help to make alt-protein cheaper than conventional meat. To be successful, the ICE will need to collect a million signatures over the next year. Almost 5000 EU citizens have already signed in the first few days, and over 100 organisations are supporting the initiative. It follows the success of a previous ICE called End the Cage Age, which resulted in a commitment by the European Commission to ban cages in animal agriculture. Backlash Predictably, the initiative has attracted backlash …

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COFE EU

Image courtesy of CIWF EU​

Politics & Law

EU Citizens Tell Their Leaders to Shift to a More Sustainable Food System

The Conference on the Future of Europe (COFE) has called for a shift to sustainable diets, plant-based eating, and increased animal welfare. The citizen-led EU initiative enables people from across the bloc to propose ideas, with a transition to a more sustainable food system high among citizens’ concerns. The COFE is based on a series of discussions featuring citizens and EU representatives, from which the urgency to shift to a more sustainable food system has arisen. The conference heard about the importance of promoting plant-based diets during the discussions, including fostering knowledge and creating awareness on how reducing the consumption of animal products promotes climate protection and the preservation of the environment. As well as organic farming and sustainable agriculture, according to Compassion in World …

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Veal Cow Compassion in World Farming

© Compassion in World Farming

Society

Animal Ag Lobbyists Defeated as European Parliament Vote Paves the Way for an End to Factory Farming

The European Parliament has voted to proceed with its Farm to Fork Strategy, putting plans in motion for an environmentally-friendly food system with higher animal welfare standards. The move has been opposed by agribusiness lobbyists, but MEPs voted in favour of the plan which may eventually put a stop to some of the horrors of intensive animal agriculture.   “This strategy has the potential to bring our food system back within planetary boundaries by moving away from intensive livestock farming and towards more plant-based foods” – Jasmijn De Boo, ProVeg International When in place, the Farm to Fork Strategy would trigger a shift away from intensive factory farming, backed up by the EU’s recent historic commitment to phase out cages in animal farming throughout the bloc. …

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Jane Goodall

Image: janegoodall.org

Sustainability / Environment

Dr. Jane Goodall Tells EU: “Tsunami” of Animal Products is Overwhelming Nature

An international group of over 60 scientists has called on the European Commission to shift its funding for food advertisements away from animal products and towards healthier and more sustainable plant-based diets. Among them is the world-renowned ethologist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute. In a letter to the Commission, the scientists note that recent Commission policy documents such as the Farm to Fork strategy for a healthier and more environmentally sustainable food system and the Beating Cancer plan recognize the need for a shift to more plant-rich diets. “We are calling on the Commission to reform its EU farm products promotion policy so that it provides support and incentives for the crucial …

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EU Commission

Health

EU to Stop Promoting Red and Processed Meat in Newly Published Cancer Plan?

This week, the EU Commission published a new plan to fight cancer, stating a commitment to encourage a “shift to a more plant-based diet, with less red and processed meat and other foods linked to cancer risks and more fruit and vegetables.” Compassion in World Farming says to vegconomist that an earlier leaked version was more ambitious and indicated a phasing out of the promotion of red and processed meat. Between 2016 and 2019, the EU allocated EUR 138.7 million to advertising campaigns promoting meat and meat products, including the controversial “Beefetarian” campaign. CIWF says that this is nevertheless a good step in the right direction and will hopefully help with cancer prevention as well as the obvious other benefits in terms of animals and …

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Studies & Numbers

European Consumers Are Ready to Shift to Sustainable Plant-Based Foods But Face Obstacles, Governments Must do More

The European Consumer Organisation BEUC has released a report revealing that most Europeans are willing to reduce their meat consumption in favour of plant-based, to aid sustainability in the food sector. It also finds that the European Commission misdirected money when it funded the ‘Farm to Fork‘ strategy. 

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Dr Jeanette Fielding

Dr Jeanette Fielding ©Upfield

Society

Upfield, World’s Largest Plant-Based Company, Speaks Against European Commission’s Farm to Fork Strategy

Further to last week’s release of the European Commission’s Farm to Fork Strategy, various individuals and companies are speaking out about their disappointment in this policy. Dr. Jeanette Fielding from Upfield, the largest plant-based consumer product company in the world, here gives her views.

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ProVeg

©ProVeg

Society

European Commission’s New Green Deal is a Policy U-Turn Omitting Meat & Dairy Reduction Targets at Last Minute

As we reported last week, the European Commission released its Farm to Fork Strategy under the new European Green Deal, stating an investment of €100 billion for the green transition. ProVeg says that this is a u-turn which omits previous proposals on meat and dairy reduction targets and ignores the “elephant in the room”.

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Society

European Commission Pledges ‎€10 Billion for Green Transition With a Focus on Plant-Based Protein

The European Commission has released its Farm to Fork Strategy, the flagship initiative under the new European Green Deal, outlining financial support of at least €100 billion over the period 2021-2027 for the green transition, and pledging to make alternative proteins a cornerstone of its research agenda as part of the green transition. 

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wehende Fahnen vor dem Europa Parlament in Brüssel

© Grecaud Paul – stock.adobe.com

Society

EU Commission Plans to Introduce Veggie Definitions by 2020

The EU Commission’s work programme for 2018 involves drawing up a legally binding definition of the terms “vegan” and “vegetarian” and enshrining it in law by 2020. As early as 2008, uniform rules for veggie labelling were set out in cooperation with the European Vegetarian Union (EVU) and ProVeg (formerly VEBU) and laid down in the Food Information Ordinance (LMIV) as a binding future assignment for the Commission.

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