With increasing demand for plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy, researchers in the UK are looking for more sustainable alternatives to imported soy beans. They are working to develop a new kind of pea that lacks the typical flavor of peas and could be a more neutral-tasting substitute. “The world has changed,” Claire Domoney, a […]
New research from the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) shows half the number of farms that exist now will be gone by the end of the century, while the average farm size will double, a trend that could pose major risks for global food systems. The study is the first to follow the size […]
There’s a new banana in town, and it’s been genetically modified (GM). Scientists at Australia’s Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have developed the first GM banana in the world, a variety of Cavendish banana known as QCAV-4, designed to help save the species. The GM version of the tropical fruit was engineered to withstand a […]
For the first time, a meat alternative product has received the American Heart Association’s (AHA’s) Heart-Check Mark, meaning it meets criteria to deem the plant-based meat product as a heart-healthy food. Beyond Meat’s product Beyond Steak gained the certification, which requires products to meet certain targets such as being low in saturated fat, cholesterol and […]
Not all creepy-crawlers are welcome in the garden, but some insects are very beneficial to the success of your flowers, herbs and veggies. According to Almanac, beneficial bugs fall into three categories: pollinators, which help pollinate plants; predators, which feed on garden pests; and parasitizers, like parasitic wasps and other insects that lay eggs inside […]
Toxic polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) “forever chemicals” have been found in everything from products like cleaners, cosmetics and grease-resistant food packaging to air, water and soil — even in remote locations — as well as human blood. Now, some of the most commonly used food pesticides in the U.S. have been found to be contaminated with […]
Pollinators are crucial for growing the food we eat and supporting the diverse plant life that sustains our ecosystems. When feeding on pollen or nectar for energy, pollinators carry pollen from the stamen of the flower to the stigma, which fertilizes the plant so it can produce fruit and seeds. While honeybees and bumblebees might […]
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on April 17 that the city would aim to “reduce absolute carbon emissions from food purchases across its city agencies by 33 percent by 2030.” This was after the city’s Department of Environmental Protection began to incorporate food emissions data into its overall greenhouse gas inventory, discovering that […]
When trying to be environmentally sustainable, living in suburbia can make it pretty difficult. The suburbs have been responsible for 50% of carbon emissions in the United States, mainly due to a reliance on automobiles. Suburban homes also conserve far less energy due to the heating and cooling of larger houses, which also contributes to […]