Food and Agriculture

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    Biotech Company’s Plant-Based Casein Could Make Vegan Cheese ‘Indistinguishable’ From Dairy Cheese in Melt and Texture

    Biotech Company’s Plant-Based Casein Could Make Vegan Cheese ‘Indistinguishable’ From Dairy Cheese in Melt and Texture

    Vegan cheese is about to get a breakthrough. Climax Foods, a biotechnology company based in California, discovered a plant-based version of casein with the help of artificial intelligence. The findings could contribute to vegan cheeses with better melting properties. The company uncovered a plant-based protein that performs similarly to casein. Casein is a dairy-based protein […]

    Organic Honey Bee Hives Can Be as Productive and Healthy as Conventional Hives, Study Finds

    Organic Honey Bee Hives Can Be as Productive and Healthy as Conventional Hives, Study Finds

    Organic farming methods mean less pesticides in our soil and food. They ensure agricultural runoff won’t contain toxic chemicals that can make their way into our waterways, polluting the water supply and potentially harming wildlife and ecosystems. They also consider animal welfare. So why do farmers continue to use synthetic pesticides? The answer is simple: […]

    Meals on Wheels Is a Climate-Relief Model

    Meals on Wheels Is a Climate-Relief Model

    When an unprecedented heat wave bore down on Portland, Oregon, in June 2021, Jonna Papaefthimiou, the city’s chief resilience officer, immediately thought of the city’s most vulnerable populations: older people sweltering, often alone, in their homes.

    Excessive Foraging for Wild Mushrooms and Garlic a ‘Risk to Wildlife’ in UK

    Excessive Foraging for Wild Mushrooms and Garlic a ‘Risk to Wildlife’ in UK

    In the UK, experts have expressed concern that some foragers for wild mushrooms and garlic have been taking too many ingredients from protected sites, putting wildlife at risk, reported The Guardian. The National Trust is concerned that people have been gathering foraged foods to sell them, damaging delicately-balanced ecosystems. “Foraging brings us closer to nature […]

    Egg Labels, Decoded

    Egg Labels, Decoded

    Faced with a wall of egg cartons at the grocery store, all plastered with different labels and phrases, it’s hard to know what to choose. Which is better: cage-free, free range or pasture-raised? What does “farm-fresh” mean? What lies behind the USDA Organic label? Are vegetarian-fed hens healthier and happier? Without uniform regulation of these […]