McFadden, C. (2024, January 26). Study slashes lab-grown meat cost, engineers bovine muscle stem cells. New technique could yield cheaper, tastier lab-grown meat. https://interestingengineering.com/science/cheaper-lab-grown-meat-production

A group of scientists from Tufts University made a breakthrough in synthetic meat production. This breakthrough has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of synthetic meat production. The group engineered stem cells to produce FGF which is a key component in triggering skeletal muscle cell growth which is needed to produce the meat. This new strategy is replaces the old one that contributed to 90% of the production cost for lab-grown meat. This means with this new technique we could see lab-grown meat dropping down to much more affordable levels.

This article was very exciting to read. With this breakthrough, there is potential for lab-grown meat to drop to levels comparable with actual meat. The cost is considered one of the biggest issues with current synthetic meat meaning if there is a way to overcome that the potential for synthetic meat can be much greater than we thought. This relates to environmental science as this breakthrough could lead to synthetic meat taking up a much larger market share for all meat. Lab-grown meat is much more environmentally friendly meaning if there is a way to bring the cost to a comparable level, the actual production and need for meat will drop as well. This would allow for a great decrease in greenhouse gas emissions from livestock production.

Sustainable Brands. (2024, January 26). US meat industry: Meat, dairy sustainability efforts contribute to Global Goals. https://sustainablebrands.com/read/defining-the-next-economy/us-meat-industry-sustainability-global-goals

This is an interview of Julie Anna Potts the President and CEO of the Meat Insitute. She discusses the meat industry’s role in climate solutions and sustainability. Her initiative the Protein PACT is trying to make sustainable meat production a part of the climate conversation. She specifically mentions the commitment to greenhouse gas reduction in meat production. Her overall point is that people don’t need to eat less meat to help the environment, there are many other ways to optimize meat production that would also help reduce its environmental impact.

This article was a very interesting read. It was surprising to hear that, if the production is optimized, you don’t need to eat less meat to still benefit the environment through meat. While the way Potts talks about the idea is a bit idealistic the fact that there is a chance to fix meat production is very exciting to hear. This relates to environmental science as the entire point of the article is how it is possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in meat production. If the meat producers can optimize their production then people won’t have to worry about how their meat consumption will affect the environment.

Kay, S. (2024, January 17). US beef industry may see more red ink in 2024. Food Business News. https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/25375-us-beef-industry-may-see-more-red-ink-in-2024#:~:text=The%20US%20Department%20of%20Agriculture’s,28.291%20billion%20lbs%20in%202022

The beef industry in the US is seeing a major decline compared to past years. The production is way down compared to past years which is leading to overall price increases and producers struggling to find profitability. This decrease in production is due to the mass liquidation of cattle. Companies are reporting their first monetary losses in years. In turn, due to this beef decrease, there is an increase in pork and poultry production which is expected to continue into the future. This increase in pork and poultry is also expected to add to the decrease in beef production. 

This article was interesting to read. It was surprising to hear about an expected decline in red meat as it to me still seems insanely popular. It was also interesting to read that due to this beef decline pork and poultry production are starting to rise. This article relates to environmental science because of how major of an issue beef production is for the environment. The amounts of greenhouse gases released by a group of cattle are incredibly impactful. With a drop in cattle production, we can expect to see a slight drop in greenhouse gas emissions from livestock which will overall help the environment. Also due to an increase in pork and poultry, there is an expectation that beef levels will stay lower. The impact that pork and poultry have on the environment is much less than that of beef making it overall beneficial.

Hagstrom, J. (2023, November 9). USDA issues new rules on red meat purchases, poultry contracts and seed sales. DTN Progressive Farmer. https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/blogs/ag-policy-blog/blog-post/2023/11/09/usda-issues-new-rules-red-meat-seed

An executive order was announced that required all red meat bought by the USDA must be born, raised, and killed in ths US. The basic idea behnd this order is to make sure the meat is produced in the US as a way to support US producers. On top of this a new rule was placed that requires poultry companies to disclose earnings. Seed companies are also required to be more transparent with farmers durings sales. All these changes are meant to address competition issues however people are concerned about potential cost spikes.

This article was interesting to read as I never considered how much money the USDA themselves spent on meat. Reading that $800 million was spent buying meat in the past year was shocking. It was also surprising that the rules on buying homegrown meat weren’t already in place. It seems obvious that an American agency should be buying from American producers. This article relates to environmental science as it somewhat unintentionally reduced the meat industry’s carbon footprint. Since there is now a requirement to buy American-produced meat greenhouse gas emissions are reduced due to lower travel-related emissions.

Torrella, K. (2023, December 15). Big meat just can’t quit antibiotics. Vox. https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/1/8/23542789/big-meat-antibiotics-resistance-fda

After two major changes to laws regarding antibiotic use on livestock, a major drop in their use was seen by about 42%. In the years since these changes however, antibiotic use is back on the rise. Despite some livestock industries, notably chicken, switching completely off of antibiotics products like beef and pork are still unable to turn away from the antibiotics. The article advocates for more regulations to be put into place as there are still loopholes preventing antibiotic use from truly dropping. It also notes that Europe and some parts of the US have moved from antibiotics with little issue.

This article was pretty surprising to read. It mentions how antibiotics are being used more commonly by the meat industry rather than actual humans. At one point the meat industry was even buying up 69% of the total US antibiotic supply which was shocking. This article relates to environmental science as it shows how unnatural our food production has gotten and remains. This type of unnatural growth of animals is what leads to things like cows being such a major contributor to climate change. The industries ability to make sure animals won’t die allows them to have tons. This in turn leads to issues like excessive methane release which is a major contributor to our planet’s climate change. However, this article also mentions the need for more land if the US were to move away from antibiotics. This in turn will cause a larger carbon footprint for the pork making it a hard issue to balance.

Buckley, C. (2023, July 21). Save the Planet, Put Down that Hamburger. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/21/climate/diet-vegan-meat-emissions.html

A study done by the University of Oxford reveals that following a plant-based diet slashes greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent when compared to someone who consumes more than 3.5 ounces of meat a day. This research contrasts with earlier modeling-based studies. Drawing from real diets of 55,500 individuals and data from 38,000 farms worldwide, the study looks at the environmental benefits of plant-based diets, focusing on their massive potential to reduce carbon emissions and minimize the impact caused by the meat industry.

This article is related to environmental science as it focuses on how major of a difference a plant-based diet can have on greenhouse gas emissions. This information is extremely important to modern knowledge on how effective a plant-based diet really is. Following this study, people could have a massive impact on the health of the environment. This article was interesting to me. While I always figured living off a plant-based diet would be beneficial to the environment I didn’t realize just how beneficial it really was. A 75% cut in emissions makes me seriously consider trying to drop a lot of meat from my diet.

Carrington, D., & editor, D. C. E. (2023, August 18). “Gigantic” power of meat industry blocking green alternatives, study finds. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/18/gigantic-power-of-meat-industry-blocking-green-alternatives-study-finds

The meat and dairy industries have a major influence, leading to stunted growth of eco-friendly alternatives, according to a study. Livestock farmers receive far more public funding nearly 800 times more thanks to lobbying efforts and regulations that favor traditional meat. Notably despite the major environmental impact of meat production guidelines oddly ignore this issue. The research calls for policy changes that fairly take into account the environmental impact of meat, as well as more money being put into all the better environmental but largely ignored parts of the meat industry. 

This article is about how influential the meat industry is within the government. It relates to environmental science as it shows a problem that not only is an issue for the fight against climate change but also an issue within our government. The amount of money that flows through the meat industry is playing a major role in preventing change from coming that could potentially help fight climate change. If nothing changes within the laws and regulations set the amount of work it takes to fight climate change is significantly more. This article made me upset. To hear how much more public funding is going into an industry that is the single largest contributor to climate change makes no sense to me. The fact that public funding for the meat industry is 800 times greater than plant-based meat or cultivated meat groups is outrageous.

Moquin, E. (2023, January 30). The Plant-Based Meat Industry Will Face More Challenges – Here’s Why. Morning Consult Pro. https://pro.morningconsult.com/analysis/plant-based-meats-face-more-challenges-ahead

In 2022, Beyond Meat, a top plant-based meat company, faced a bunch of challenges, including layoffs, executive turnover, and declining stock prices, leading to discussions about the future of the industry. However, despite these setbacks, consumer attitudes towards Beyond Meat remained relatively unchanged. Despite an increase in awareness people are still not considering purchasing the plant based products. Key obstacles are primarily perception of the food notably the taste and cost. 

This article focuses on the issues with the plant-based food industry. This relates to environmental science as it shows how people aren’t willing to change their habits if it slightly inconveniences them even if they know it’s better for the environment. These kinds of attitudes are what lead to the current environmental self-destruction we face today. The article surprised me by talking about how the plant-based food industry is struggling. To me it feels like I’m constantly seeing the meats in stores and being added to the menus of every burger place I go to yet economically the companies are declining. It seems like more advertising needs to be done to get rid of some of the negative perspectives of consumers. 

Carrington, D. (2023, March 6). Meat, dairy and rice production will bust 1.5C climate target, shows study. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/06/meat-dairy-rice-high-methane-food-production-bust-climate-target-study

In a new study done by Catherine Ivanovich and her team at Columbia University, it has been revealed that emissions arising from the food system, primarily driven by the production of meat, dairy, and rice, are likely to breach the critical 1.5 Celcius global heating threshold alone if left the same. The study suggested that the food industry alone could cause an increase of .7 Celsius which paired with the existing increase of 1 Celsius would break the 1.5 Celsius global heating threshold. The research focused on the key role of methane emissions from high-methane foods like livestock and rice paddies. 

This article focuses on an important aspect of environmental science by talking about the complex problem of modern food production. It focuses on the major emissions from the food system specifically the high-methane foods like meat, dairy, and rice. To me the article was surprising. While I’ve always been aware of how major the food industry’s role was in the worsening of climate change I didn’t realize that it alone could cause the breach in the 1.5 Celcisus barrier. That fact is extremely concerning to me cause if a single industry can cause the breach then how challenging is it going to be to stop the food industry aswell as all the others that could lead to the breach. The article gave me great insight into the role of the food industry on climate change as well as shining light on how urgent change really is for the food industry.

Anderson, D. (2023, March 2). 2023 meat production expected to decline 1%. Www.farmprogress.com. https://www.farmprogress.com/livestock/2023-meat-production-expected-to-decline-1

After a record year in 2022, the United States is expected to see a decrease this year (2023) as well as in 2024. This year’s dip was around 1% and related mainly to supply chain issues. A common theme among each animal’s decline in meat production are increased costs related to the supply chain as well as the general economic state of the country. Another notable issue that is leading to the decrease in meat production is drought which has specifically hurt cattle and beef production.

This article is related to environmental science as it shows a direct effect of environmental change. Due to an environmental change, in this case, drought, meat production is being directly impacted. As I read this article I was surprised at first but as I continued to read it made more and more sense. I had already known about the issues with the supply chain so pairing that with environmental factors made sense for a decrease in meat production. The article was especially interesting with the mention of the expected decline continuing into 2024 with a considerable decrease in beef production specifically. I also found it interesting how the increase in 2022 was caused primarily by beef and chicken despite a decrease in pork and turkey production. The trend then flipped this year with pork and turkey holding while beef and chicken decreased.