Tag Archives: Meat

Jennifer Coolidge Wants Tanya’s Husband to Die in a ‘Meat Grinding Machine’ in ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 – Variety

  1. Jennifer Coolidge Wants Tanya’s Husband to Die in a ‘Meat Grinding Machine’ in ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Variety
  2. Jennifer Coolidge has a Fargo-esque fate in mind for her The White Lotus husband Yahoo Entertainment
  3. Jennifer Coolidge wants ‘White Lotus’ husband to die — in a horrific way New York Post
  4. Jennifer Coolidge Wishes A Bloody Death For This ‘White Lotus’ Character: “He Should End Up In A Meat-Grinding Machine” Decider
  5. ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3: Jennifer Coolidge’s Hopes for Tanya’s Husband Collider
  6. View Full Coverage on Google News

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Russia throws more soldiers into Bakhmut meat grinder ahead of Putin’s Victory Day parade – POLITICO Europe

  1. Russia throws more soldiers into Bakhmut meat grinder ahead of Putin’s Victory Day parade POLITICO Europe
  2. ‘Do They Fear Large Crowds?’: In The Shadow Of War Against Ukraine, Kremlin Scales Back Victory Day Commemorations Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
  3. Moscow tightens security for May 9 parade over Ukraine risk – Kremlin Reuters
  4. Putin claims he’s cancelling public celebrations over safety fears. The truth is more humiliating The Guardian
  5. Why Did Russian Authorities Cancel Immortal Regiment Processions? The Moscow Times
  6. View Full Coverage on Google News

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Emily Ratajkowski rages at ‘f—ked up’ Hollywood film biz: ‘I felt like a piece of meat’ – New York Post

  1. Emily Ratajkowski rages at ‘f—ked up’ Hollywood film biz: ‘I felt like a piece of meat’ New York Post
  2. Emily Ratajkowski Says She’s “Scared” Amid Her Divorce | E! News E! News
  3. Emily Ratajkowski Quit Acting, Fired Her Team Who ‘All Hate Women’: ‘Hollywood Is F***ed Up’ Yahoo Entertainment
  4. Emily Ratajkowski on Why She Decided to Quit Acting and Fired Her Team: “I Didn’t Trust Them” Hollywood Reporter
  5. Emily Ratajkowski Reveals She Auditioned For Best Picture Nominee UPROXX
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The average life expectancy of a front-line soldier in eastern Ukraine is around 4 hours, says an American fighting in ‘the meat grinder’ – Yahoo News

  1. The average life expectancy of a front-line soldier in eastern Ukraine is around 4 hours, says an American fighting in ‘the meat grinder’ Yahoo News
  2. Ukraine war: One of the fiercest battles of the conflict is intensifying as volunteers work to evacuate civilians Sky News
  3. Average soldier life expectancy in Ukraine ‘meat grinder’ is 4 hours Business Insider
  4. Zelenskiy says Ukraine will defend Bakhmut within reason from Russia Yahoo News
  5. ‘Nonstop shelling’: Former US Marine in Bakhmut, Ukraine, says fighting is ‘chaotic’ ABC News
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New Research Reveals That Plant-Based Meat Substitutes Often Lack Nutritional Value

The study reveals that the nutritional value of meat substitutes currently on the market is often inadequate, based on factors such as the selection of raw materials (often imported soy), processing methods (content of anti-nutrients), and added ingredients (fat quality and salt).

The rise of plant-based protein options as meat substitutes has grown significantly as more individuals adopt a plant-based diet. However, the nutritional value of these products remains a concern. A study from the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden has found that many meat substitutes sold in Sweden boast high iron content, but it is in a form that cannot be absorbed by the body.

Professor Ann-Sofie Sandberg, The Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology. Credit: Chalmers

A diet largely made up of plant-based foods such as root vegetables, pulses, fruit, and vegetables generally has a low climate impact and is also associated with health benefits such as a reduced risk of age-related diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as has been shown in several large studies. But there have been far fewer studies of how people’s health is affected by eating products based on what is known as texture plant proteins.

In the new study from Chalmers, a research team in the Division of Food and Nutrition Science analyzed 44 different meat substitutes sold in Sweden. The products are mainly manufactured from soy and pea protein, but also include the fermented soy product tempeh and mycoproteins, that is, proteins from fungi.

“Among these products, we saw a wide variation in nutritional content and how sustainable they can be from a health perspective. In general, the estimated absorption of iron and zinc from the products was extremely low. This is because these meat substitutes contained high levels of phytates, antinutrients that inhibit the absorption of minerals in the body,” says Cecilia Mayer Labba, the study’s lead author, who recently defended her thesis on the nutritional limitations of switching from animal protein to plant-based protein.

The body misses out on necessary minerals

Phytates are found naturally in beans and cereals – they accumulate when proteins are extracted for use in meat substitutes. In the gastrointestinal tract, where mineral absorption takes place, phytates form insoluble compounds with essential dietary minerals, especially non-heme iron (iron found in plant foods) and zinc, which means that they cannot be absorbed in the intestine.

“Both iron and zinc also accumulate in protein extraction. This is why high levels are listed among the product’s ingredients, but the minerals are bound to phytates and cannot be absorbed and used by the body,” says Cecilia Mayer Labba.

Dr. Cecilia Mayer Labba, The Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology. Credit: Martina Butorac/Chalmers

Iron deficiency among women is a widespread, global problem. In Europe, 10 to 32 per cent of women of childbearing age are affected and almost one in three teenage girls at secondary school in Sweden. Women are also the group in society most likely to have switched to a plant-based diet and to eat the least amount of red meat, which is the main source of iron that can be easily absorbed in the digestive tract.

‘It is clear that when it comes to minerals in meat substitutes, the amount that is available for absorption by the body is a very important consideration. You cannot just look at the list of ingredients. Some of the products we studied are fortified with iron but it is still inhibited by phytates. We believe that making nutrition claims on only those nutrients that can be absorbed by the body could create incentives for the industry to improve those products,’ says Ann-Sofie Sandberg, Professor of Food and Nutrition Science at Chalmers and co-author of the study.

The food industry needs new methods

Tempeh, made from fermented soybeans, differed from the other meat substitutes in the amount of iron available for absorption by the body. This was expected, as the fermentation of tempeh uses microorganisms that break down phytates. Mycoproteins stood out for their high zinc content, without containing any known absorption inhibitors. However, according to the researchers, it is still unclear how well our intestines can break down the cell walls of mycoprotein and how this in turn affects the absorption of nutrients.

“Plant-based food is important for the transition to sustainable food production, and there is huge development potential for plant-based meat substitutes. The industry needs to think about the nutritional value of these products and to utilize and optimize known process techniques such as fermentation, but also develop new methods to increase the absorption of various important nutrients,” says Cecilia Mayer Labba.

Production of plant proteins

  • Most existing plant-based protein products on the market are based on protein extracted from a cultivated plant, such as soybeans, and separated from the plant’s other components.
  • The protein is then subjected to high pressure and temperature, which restructures the proteins, known as texturization so that a product can be achieved that is meatier and chewier in combination with other ingredients.
  • Chalmers’ study shows that the nutritional value of meat substitutes available today is often deficient depending on the choice of raw material (often imported soy) and processing conditions (content of anti-nutrients), and on additives (fat quality and salt).
  • A meal containing 150 grams of meat substitutes contributes up to 60 percent of the maximum recommended daily intake of salt, which according to the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations is 6 grams.

Reference: “Nutritional Composition and Estimated Iron and Zinc Bioavailability of Meat Substitutes Available on the Swedish Market” by Inger-Cecilia Mayer Labba, Hannah Steinhausen, Linnéa Almius, Knud Erik Bach Knudsen and Ann-Sofie Sandberg, 21 September 2022, Nutrients.
DOI: 10.3390/nu14193903

The study was funded by the Bertebos Foundation, the Swedish Research Council Formas, and the region of Västra Götaland.



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How Much Protein Should I Eat Every Day?

A stroll through a grocery store used to include lots of packages touting the sought-after term “low fat.” Years later, it was replaced with exciting-looking “low carb” claims. These days, “high in protein” is a benefit you’ll see touted on lots of products, whether they’re protein powder, bone broth, salty snacks or just about anything else. But people are more confused than ever about how much protein they should eat.

How much protein do you really need? We spoke with experts who explained its importance, why it’s not a one-size-fits-all nutrient and how to figure out what your body needs.

Why You Need Protein

It’s a pretty simple situation: Protein is good for us, and we ought to eat some every day. What’s most important to remember is that our body really does need what protein provides.

“Most people think of eating protein simply to maintain or help improve muscle size, but it does far more in our bodies,” said Michael J. Ormsbee, a Florida State University professor in the department of nutrition and integrative physiology and director at the Institute of Sports Sciences and Medicine. “Proteins serve as enzymes, hormones, receptors, signaling molecules and much more.”

Because protein is not something our bodies keep in reserve, like body fat, it’s a daily essential, explained Floris Wardenaar, an assistant professor at the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University. “Protein provides essential amino acids, which we need to consume as part of our daily diets,” he said. “That’s because the body constantly breaks down protein to create the building blocks for new protein, resulting in a loss that needs to be replaced with food.”

If you notice that you feel fuller after a protein-rich meal, you’ve discovered another of protein’s benefits. “It keeps us satisfied and fuller for longer,” said Jane Burrell, an associate teaching professor at Syracuse University.

What’s The Magic Number?

How much protein is enough to realize all of these benefits? As a basic guideline, the Food and Drug Administration recommends that adults consume 50 grams of protein a day as part of a 2,000-calorie diet. But other experts take a more nuanced approach.

“Adequate protein intake isn’t one number or target to hit, but more of a range that depends on your age, sex, overall health and lean body mass,” said registered dietitian Jaclyn London.

“A generally healthy person who’s not very active should consume 0.8 to 1 gram of protein for each kilogram of body weight a day as a minimum,” she advised. (That would be about 68 grams of protein for someone who weighs 150 pounds.)

“Someone who’s super active with things like running, cycling or training for an endurance event will require more, about 1.2-1.7g/kg per day,” which would be from 82 to 116 grams of protein for a 150-pound person, she continued. “When I’m working with individuals who are active and generally healthy, I typically recommend something closer to 1.2g/kg per day to 1.5g/kg per day.”

Not all proteins are created equal. Consider the amount of cholesterol in bacon and eggs, compared to vegetarian-based proteins or even chicken or fish.

The Best Protein Sources

“Proteins can not only be found in animal-based foods, but also in plants,” said board-certified naturopathic physician Dr. Kellyann Petrucci. “In fact, some studies have indicated that getting protein from non-meat sources could actually be better for your health. Think low-fat dairy products, fish, beans and soy. These foods are delicious, and they may even help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.”

Pay attention to fat content, which can go hand-in-hand with high-protein foods. “Not all protein is created equal,” Petrucci said. “Bacon, sausage or processed meats might be high in protein, but they’re also high in saturated fat, which could be harmful for your heart.”

Finally, food is always better than a supplement or a powder, London said. “Protein powders are everywhere these days, and since they’re considered dietary supplements, they’re not overseen by the FDA,” she said. “When it comes to meeting your nutritional needs, dietary supplements are meant to be used only to fill in the gaps from what might be missing in your diet, not to take the place of attempting to meet nutrient needs through food sources.”

High-Protein Foods

Protein content in foods (one-ounce portions unless noted), according to Johns Hopkins Medicine:

  • Beef or turkey jerky: 10 to 15 grams of protein
  • 5 ounces Greek yogurt: 12 to 18 grams of protein
  • Roasted edamame: 13 grams of protein
  • 3/4 to 1 1/3 cup of high-protein cereal: 7 to 15 grams of protein
  • Meat or fish: 7 grams of protein
  • 1/3 cup of hummus: 7 grams of protein
  • 2 tablespoons of peanut butter: 7 grams of protein
  • 1 Egg: 6 grams of protein

Spreading Out Your Protein Intake

How much protein you eat is important, but so is when you eat it. “I encourage people to aim for 15 to 25 grams of protein each time they eat,” Burrell said. “If you eat that amount of protein only at lunch and dinner, but not at other times of day, you might be left feeling unsatisfied or hungry.”

You need to get enough calories overall to give that protein what it needs to be most effective, she added. “I work with college students, and many will be on high-protein diets, but they don’t eat enough calories overall,” Burrell said. “For protein to be used to build new proteins, first you need enough calories. Otherwise, your body will just use this extra protein for energy. And if carbohydrate intake is low, your body will break down functioning proteins and use some of those amino acids to make glucose in order to maintain blood glucose.”

Popular Myths About Protein

There’s a lot of misinformation out there about protein, experts said. Here’s one example: “We still hear that protein causes kidney damage,” Ormsbee said. “The data simply do not support this.”

On its own, protein can’t make you bulk up, either, they agreed. “One misconception about protein is that eating it means you’ll get big muscles,” Petrucci said. “In fact, muscle growth is a complicated process that takes into account protein consumption, exercise and hormones. Athletes may have higher protein needs compared to their peers, but eating this way doesn’t mean they’ll get bigger muscles.”

In fact, smart protein choices are an important part of a nutritious diet. “It’s an absolute essential component of meals and snacks, especially for people looking to adopt small-but-impactful strategies or habits that can result in weight loss or weight management over time,” London said.

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Should nitrites in meat products be banned? Another study links the preservatives to bowel cancer

A leading scientist in the UK has called for the country to ban the use of nitrites in processed meat, after publishing a study that adds to the body of evidence showing the additives can increase the risk of cancer.

Professor Chris Elliott, who led the UK government’s food systems review following the 2013 horsemeat scandal, urged the government to enforce a ban on the chemicals, which are used as a preservative.

Earlier this year, France’s health agency ANSES confirmed a link between nitrites and nitrates in ham and charcuterie and the development of colorectal cancer – otherwise known as bowel cancer.

The French government has since begun planning the reduction or phasing out of nitrites from processed meats in the country.

Elliott, along with colleagues from Queen’s University Belfast, conducted a pork meat consumption study on mice over eight weeks.

The mice were given a diet consisting of 15 per cent of either nitrite-free pork, nitrate-free sausage, or nitrite-containing sausage in the form of a frankfurter.

The mice were compared against a control group, which was fed a diet consisting entirely of chow – a balanced diet consisting mainly of cereals.

Mice eating the nitrite-containing frankfurters were found to have 53 per cent more gastrointestinal tumours than the control group.

The study authors noted that while 15 per cent nitrate-pork in the diet was “a relatively high intake of processed meat,” all previous preclinical trials had used a minimum of 50 per cent processed meat in the diet.

“It clearly demonstrates that lower dietary quantities can exacerbate the disease,” they wrote.

‘Very real risk to public health’

Colorectal cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers across Europe, and one of the leading causes of death.

Many health bodies already advise lowering the risk of developing this cancer by eating a healthy diet, and avoiding processed meat and red meat.

The UK’s NHS recommends that anyone who eats more than 90g of red or processed meat a day should cut down to 70g, which could help to reduce the risk of bowel cancer.

Professor Chris Elliott called on the UK government to ban the use of nitrites “as they have done already in France”.

“The results of this new study make the cancer risk associated with nitrite-cured meat even clearer. The everyday consumption of nitrite-containing bacon and ham poses a very real risk to public health,” he said.

Dr Brian Green, another of the report authors, said: “The results from our study clearly show that not all processed meats carry the same risk of cancer and that the consumption of nitrite-containing processed meat exacerbates the development of cancerous tumours”.

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Meat bans and ‘un-Brexit’? One bank’s ‘outrageous’ 2023 predictions

Meat bans, soaring gold prices and Britain voting to ‘un–Brexit’ could be on the cards for 2023, according to Saxo’s Outrageous Predictions.

Bloomberg / Contributor / Getty Images

Saxo Bank’s “outrageous predictions” for 2023 include a ban on meat production, skyrocketing gold prices and Britain voting to “un-Brexit.”

The Danish bank’s annual report, published earlier this month, expects global economies to shift into “war economy” mode, “where sovereign economic gains and self-reliance trump globalisation.”

The forecasts, while not representative of the bank’s official views, looked at how decisions from policymakers next year could impact both the global economy and the political agenda.

Gold to hit $3,000

Among the bank’s “outrageous” calls for next year, Saxo Head of Commodity Strategy Ole Hansen predicted the price of spot gold could exceed $3,000 per ounce in 2023 – around 67% higher than its current price of about $1,797 per ounce.

The report puts its forecasted surge down to three factors: “an increasing war economy mentality” that makes gold more appealing than foreign reserves, a big investment in new national security priorities, and increasing global liquidity as policymakers try to avoid debt debacles in their respective recessions.

“I would not be surprised to see commodity driven economies wanting to go to gold because of a lack of better alternatives,” Steen Jakobsen, chief investment officer at Saxo, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Dec. 6.

“I think gold is going to fly,” he added.

While analysts are expecting an increase in the price of gold in 2023, a surge of that magnitude is unlikely, according to global commodities intelligence company CRU.

“Our price expectations are much more moderate,” Kirill Kirilenko, a senior analyst at CRU, told CNBC.

“A less hawkish Fed is likely to lead to a weaker USD, which could in turn give gold bulls more breathing space and energy to stage a rally next year, lifting prices closer to $1,900 per ounce,” he said. 

Kirilenko highlighted, however, that it’s all dependent on moves by the Federal Reserve. “Any hint of increasing ‘hawkishness’ from the US central bank would likely pressure gold prices lower,” he said.

Britain will vote to un-Brexit

The “outrageous prediction” most likely to occur next year, according to Saxo’s Jakobsen, is for there to be another referendum on Brexit.

“I actually think it’s one of the things that will have a high probability,” he told CNBC.

Saxo Market Strategist Jessica Amir said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt may take Conservative Party ratings to “unheard-of lows” as their “brutal fiscal programme throws the UK into a crushing recession.” 

This, the bank forecasted, could prompt the English and Welsh public to rethink the Brexit vote, with younger voters leading the way, and force Sunak to call a general election.

Saxo predicts there could be another Brexit referendum on the cards for Britain.

NurPhoto / Contributor / Getty Images

Saxo’s Amir said the opposition Labour party may then win the election and promise a referendum to reverse Brexit for Nov. 1, with the “re-join” vote winning.

“Business people are saying the only thing they’ve gained from Brexit is U.K-specific GDPR,” Saxo’s Jakobsen told CNBC. “The rest is just increased red tape,” he said.

Anand Menon, director of the think tank UK in a changing Europe, said this prediction “just doesn’t compute.”

“I don’t think there will be another referendum and the idea that [Labour leader Keir] Starmer would adopt that position is for the birds,” he said.

Starmer told a business conference in September that his party would “make Brexit work.”

Public sentiment toward Brexit has changed since the referendum, Menon said, after the vote resulted in a slim majority of 52% of voters opting to leave the EU back in 2016.

“It’s absolutely the case that public opinion seems to be turning,” he said. 

Research carried out by YouGov in November showed 59% of the 6,174 people surveyed thought Brexit had gone “fairly badly” or “very badly” since the end of 2020, while only 2% said it had gone “very well.”

Meat production to be banned

Meat is responsible for 57% of emissions from food production, according to research published by Nature Food, and with countries across the world having made net-zero commitments, Saxo says it is possible at least one country could cut out meat production entirely.

One nation “looking to front-run others” on its climate credentials may decide to heavily tax meat from 2025 and could ban all domestically produced live animal-sourced meat entirely by 2030, Saxo Market Strategist Charu Chanana said.

Meat is responsible for 57% of emissions from food production, according to research published by Nature Food.

Future Publishing / Contributor / Getty Images

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see schools in Denmark and Sweden banning meat altogether, it’s definitely going that way,” Saxo’s Jakobsen told CNBC. “It sounds crazy for us old people,” he added.

The U.K., countries in the European Union, Japan and Canada are among the nations with legally binding net-zero pledges.

The U.K’s Department for Environment Food and Rural Agriculture said there were “no plans” to introduce a meat tax or ban meat production when contacted by CNBC.

An eventful 2023?

Some of the other “outrageous predictions” for next year from Saxo include the resignation of French President Emmanuel Macron, Japan pegging the yen to the U.S. dollar at a rate of 200 and the formation of a united European Union military.

The predictions should all be taken with a pinch of salt, however. Saxo’s Jakobsen told CNBC that there was a 5-10% chance of each forecast coming true.

The bank has made a set of “outrageous predictions” each year for the last decade and some have actually come true — or at least come close.

In 2015, Saxo forecasted that the U.K. would vote to leave the European Union following a United Kingdom Independence Party landslide, it predicted Germany would enter a recession in 2019 – which the country narrowly avoided – and it wagered that bitcoin would experience a meteoric rally in 2017.

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Teeth suggest ancestors of diplodocus may have eaten meat | Dinosaurs

With its huge feet, long neck and penchant for plants, the diplodocus may be one of history’s biggest vegetarians. But research has revealed the sauropod’s ancestors may have had a taste for flesh.

Scientists studying the teeth of some of the earliest dinosaurs to roam the Earth say they have uncovered telltale clues as to what they ate.

Dr Antonio Ballell Mayoral, the lead author of the research from the University of Bristol, said that while omnivores, herbivores and carnivores all existed by the Triassic period, their predecessors did not necessarily share the same diets.

“The earliest members of the two main veggie dinosaur lineages were not exclusively herbivorous,” he said.

Writing in the journal Science Advances, Ballell and colleagues report how they analysed the teeth of 11 early dinosaurs including Ngwevu intloko, a long-necked ancestor of sauropods, and Lesothosaurus diagnosticus, an early “bird-hipped” dinosaur, both of which lived about 200m years ago.

“Teeth can give good clues about what an animal eats because they are our tools to break down food,” said Ballell.

As well as looking at the shape and function of the dinosaurs’ teeth, the team made computer models of how stress would be distributed across them when biting.

Scientists found that early relatives of sauropods appear to have been carnivores based on their curved and bladed teeth. Photograph: Antonio Ballell

The team then fed the results into machine-learning algorithms based on the dental features and diets of 47 living reptiles such as iguanas, geckoes, snakes and crocodiles. This allowed the researchers to investigate the types of food that the early dinosaurs were likely to have tucked into.

The results reveal that while Ngwevu intloko and other early relatives of sauropods were likely to have been herbivores, those that lived even earlier – such as Buriolestes schultzi, which roamed up to 237m years ago – appear to have been carnivores based on their curved and bladed teeth, similar to those of today’s Komodo dragon, together with how these teeth handled feeding-related forces.

It also seems that the ancestors of the bird-hipped dinosaurs known as ornithischians – a largely plant-eating group that includes horn-faced dinosaurs such as triceratops and armoured dinosaurs such as stegosaurus – might also have been familiar with the taste of meat. As the authors note, Lesothosaurus diagnosticus had teeth that had greater mechanical resistance than those typical of carnivores, suggesting that while it could have been a herbivore it is also possible it was an omnivore.

The early dietary diversity of dinosaurs was fundamental in their rise and later dominance, allowing them to adapt to changing climates and food resources, wrote the researchers.

Ballell said that while it had traditionally been thought the very earliest dinosaurs were carnivorous, more recent discoveries challenged this. However, the Bristol research suggests carnivory is likely to be ancestral.

Prof Steve Brusatte, a palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh who was not involved in the work, described the research as innovative and inspiring.

“We’ve long wondered how the earliest dinosaurs were able to outlast their competitors and sweep around the world. This new study uses cutting-edge methods to study the diets of the oldest dinosaurs in never-before-seen detail,” he said.

“It looks like the first dinosaurs were probably meat-eaters, and that different groups of dinosaurs changed their diets over time, and this may have helped drive their diversification,” Brusatte added. “Some of the oldest dinosaurs already were experimenting with a wide variety of foods and feeding styles, and I am sure this must have played an important role in helping dinosaurs fill so many niches and become so successful.”

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Lab-grown meat is OK for human consumption, FDA says

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The US Food and Drug Administration has given a safety clearance to lab-grown meat for the first time.

Upside Foods, a California-based company that makes meat from cultured chicken cells, will be able to begin selling its products once its facilities have been inspected by the US Department of Agriculture.

The agency said it had evaluated the information submitted by Upside Foods and it had “no further questions at this time about the firm’s safety conclusion.”

“Advancements in cell culture technology are enabling food developers to use animal cells obtained from livestock, poultry, and seafood in the production of food, with these products expected to be ready for the U.S. market in the near future,” Dr. Robert M. Califf, the FDA’s commissioner of food and drugs and Susan T. Mayne, director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), said in a statement.

“The FDA’s goal is to support innovation in food technologies while always maintaining as our first priority the safety of the foods available to U.S. consumers,” the statement added.

Upside Foods founder and CEO Uma Valeti said on Twitter that its cultivated chicken “was one step closer to being on tables everywhere.”

“UPSIDE has received our ‘No Questions Letter’ from the FDA,” Valeti tweeted. “They’ve accepted our conclusion that our cultivated chicken is safe to eat.”

He told CNN earlier this year that the process of making cultivated meat was “similar to brewing beer, but instead of growing yeast or microbes, we grow animal cells.”

“These products are not vegan, vegetarian or plant-based – they are real meat, made without the animal.”

Singapore was the first country to allow the sale of cultured meat. It granted San Francisco start-up Eat Just Inc. regulatory approval in 2020 to sell its laboratory-grown chicken in Singapore.

Advocates hope that cultured meat will reduce the need to slaughter animals for food and help with the climate crisis. The food system is responsible for about a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, most of which are from animal agriculture.

“We are thrilled at FDA’s historic announcement that, after a rigorous evaluation, UPSIDE Foods has become the first company in the world to receive the US FDA greenlight for cultivated chicken,” David Kay, director of communications at Upside Foods, said via email.

“At scale, cultivated meat is projected to use substantially less water and land than conventionally-produced meat.”

Although not technically an approval, the FDA said that a thorough pre-market consultation process had been completed. The clearance only applies to food made from cultured chicken cells by Upside, but the statement said the FDA “is ready to work with additional firms developing cultured animal cell food.”



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