Nutrition experts think they've solved vegan cheese's biggest flaw

From sciencefocus.com

By Dr. Emma Davies

Everyone is crackers about cheese 

Sales of dairy cheese are booming, with a huge demand for all things protein and increasing numbers of artisan cheese fanatics.

But plant-based vegan cheeses are becoming less popular because many are labelled as ultra-processed, with ingredients such as starches, gums, oils, colourings and flavourings.

However, some people still prefer a vegan alternative, concerned that cows release large volumes of the greenhouse gas methane to the atmosphere as they munch grass.

It’s very difficult to replicate the complex flavours and textures of traditional cheeses, and therefore most dairy-free products are imitations of mild cheddar, mozzarella and soft cheese.

Credit: Getty

Vegan cheeses often mainly comprise oil and starch with low to no levels of protein. Higher protein versions contain nuts or legumes such as lentils and chickpeas.

Some companies have found ways to use genetically engineered yeast, bacteria or fungi to produce copies of the casein proteins found in cow’s milk.

These proteins self-assemble to form tiny spherical structures called micelles, which play a key role in cheese’s structure and stretchiness. The non-dairy caseins can be used first to make milk and then cheese.

Vegan cheeses generally need very high concentrations of fat to create a product that can be sliced and melted. Coconut oil and palm oil are the most common types, both of which contain high levels of saturated fat.

Scientists continue to innovate to create better-tasting, healthier vegan cheeses. A team at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh recently developed a way to create a meltable product using unsaturated sunflower oil or rapeseed oil.

They add molecules called oleogelators, which include waxes or proteins, to liquid oil to create a three-dimensional gel structure that behaves like a solid fat and is better at oozily melting than cheeses formed from coconut or palm oil.

Food scientists trying to create a convincing plant-based cheese must manipulate oils and proteins to create a fatty substance that is solid at room temperature, but melts when hot - Image credit: Adam Gale

In another recent development, scientists at the University of Arkansas, US, reported that waste products from rice milling could be good for making protein-packed vegan cheese.

They analysed proteins from brown rice, broken kernels and rice bran before combining them with coconut oil and corn starch to make a cheese with around 12 per cent protein.

Each protein fraction has different characteristics. In tests, cheese from brown rice protein had a firmer texture, whereas rice kernel proteins gave the most meltable cheese.

Elsewhere, microalgae, tiny organisms found in water, offer a tangy alternative. Microalgae can grow in big vats called bioreactors, fuelled by light and carbon dioxide.

One option is to make a microalgae protein flour and homogenise it with water to make a kind of milk.

The microalgae are an excellent source of amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Products made with them are reported to have a satisfyingly savoury taste known as umami.

So, while dairy cheese makers will always provide premium products for aficionados, vegan alternatives continue to get healthier and more like the real thing.

https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/cheese-future-vegan

Ireland: Veganism debate 'plateaus' amid interest in where food comes from - Agri Aware

From farmersjournal.ie

Marcus O'Halloran outlines the recent growth of Agri Aware ahead of the upcoming 30th anniversary AGM 

“I came in to this role in February 2020 and a month later, COVID-19 came. We had 30,000 participants in our programmes at that time,” says Marcus O’Halloran, Agri Aware executive director.

The atmosphere at the time was challenging for those advocating for the typical Irish family farm.

“There was a lot of public debate about veganism, anti-animal farming brigades were prominent. People were trying out different bits and pieces around their diet,” he says.

“That all seems to have plateaued, but there definitely is an eagerness for more information about where food comes from.”

And that is where Agri Aware comes in, with educational programmes in schools, open farm days and a high-profile presence at events like Bloom.

“I believe Agri Aware has responded to that challenge. Our numbers are hitting nearly 150,000 participants at the moment, a five-fold increase in six years,” he says.

Young people

Incredible Edibles is the biggest programme with almost 100,000 primary school children involved in that.

“But the focus is right across the entire educational cycle of primary and secondary, engaging with children from the age of five right up until they are 18. We have a chance to make an impact with children when they’re in that age of influence.”

Marcus O’Halloran, Agri Aware executive director, with ‘Come Farm With Me’ participant and pig farmer Hannah Ryan

“Most young people are very conscious of what they are eating, both in terms of the source of the food, and the animal welfare standards, and in terms of maintaining a healthy and balanced diet,” he adds.

“We’re reaching into urban areas; the highest uptake of our programmes is in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick cities. They’re the areas where people might perceive the greatest challenge for knowledge or understanding of fruit, vegetables and dairy products, so that’s a huge strength of our programme.”

Agri Aware is now celebrating 30 years in existence. With Limerick farmer Shay Galvin the widely respected chair, O’Halloran has been building a team of young and enthusiastic staff to respond to the hunger for food information.

There are now 12 full-time staff, compared to the four-strong team O’Halloran inherited when he came into the role.

“Some of them have been with us for four years, which is good going in this day and age, we’re a tight team,” he says.

It’s also a young team. “We range in age from 22 to 33, all people who are passionate about their work, eager to drive on. Recruits came from teaching, from event management, straight from college.”

O’Halloran believes the work is rewarding. “We can all see the impact we are making when they are at events or out in schools.”

Agri Aware entirely depends on the agri-food community for funding. “We’re at €1.2m of a budget, and while we’re stretching that money as far as we can, to increase our reach we will need to increase that budget,” he admits.

Events for all

Next Thursday 27 August Agri Aware hosts its AGM, reflecting on three decades of advocacy for farming. It takes place at the Harlin family’s dairy Farm, in Kilmessan, Co Meath (Eircode C15 Y7XF).

The AGM begins at 12.30pm. Lunch follows at 1.30pm, then a forum at 2pm where GAA legend Liam Sheedy will speak on leadership, teamwork and high-performance environments. Pre-registration is required for people wishing to attend.

On Saturday and Sunday 29 and 30 August, the Harlins also host the open farm weekend from 10.30am to 5pm each day.

Families are invited to follow the farm trail, watch milking, sheepdog trials, meet the family, sample local food and more,

There will also be cookery and machinery demonstrations.

https://www.farmersjournal.ie/amp/news/news/veganism-debate-plateaus-amid-interest-in-where-food-comes-from-agri-aware-928537

Tourists disappointed by limited vegan food options in Croatia

From croatiaweek.com

Croatia’s growing tourism sector is being urged to improve its vegan food offering, with an animal protection organisation warning that some international visitors are leaving disappointed by the lack of suitable meals 

The association Prijatelji životinja (Animal Friends) says it is increasingly receiving complaints from foreign tourists who struggle to find quality vegan dishes in Croatian restaurants.

The organisation argues that Croatia’s natural beauty and Mediterranean cuisine are not always enough for visitors who choose their holiday destinations based on the availability of plant-based food.

According to Prijatelji životinja, many restaurants still offer little beyond chips, boiled Swiss chard or salad when customers request a vegan meal. The association says some establishments also lack knowledge about what constitutes vegan food or are unwilling to adapt existing dishes.

The group points to Germany, one of Croatia’s largest tourism markets, where it says 8.12 million people are vegetarian or vegan. It says an increasing number of travellers consider access to plant-based food when choosing destinations, accommodation and restaurants.

Prijatelji životinja believes Croatia has considerable potential to expand its offering, noting that many traditional Croatian dishes are naturally plant-based or can be easily adapted.

The organisation says improving vegan options could strengthen Croatia’s competitiveness as a modern and sustainable tourism destination. It is calling for greater awareness among hospitality workers and for vegan options to be included more prominently in tourism guides.

The issue will also be highlighted at the upcoming ZeGeVege Festival, which will take place at Zagreb’s European Square from 4 to 6 September 2026, showcasing plant-based food and products.

https://www.croatiaweek.com/croatia-vegan-food-tourists/

URI Ph.D. candidate asks: What motivates people to buy vegan cosmetics?

From uri.edu/news

Research finds pride—not guilt—a stronger motivator 

KINGSTON, R.I. – Aug. 20, 2026 – Major cosmetics retailers such as Sephora, Ulta, and Amazon now feature sections aimed at socially conscious consumers, highlighting products that are sustainable, eco-friendly, cruelty-free, or packaged with recycled materials. This shift reflects changing consumer preferences. 

Consumers are increasingly mindful of their purchases—often seeking out products that are ethically aware—and manufacturers have responded by incorporating related claims into product webpages and labels designed to appeal to them. 

                                                                                                                                              Credit: iStock/zsv3207

“Today, consumers may choose certain lifestyles not only to show who they are, but also to express their values through what they buy,” said Mona Safizadeh, a Ph.D. candidate in the University of Rhode Island’s College of Business, who is studying this trend.

The cosmetics industry has seen a surge in vegan and sustainable products in recent years. Globally, the market for vegan cosmetics is in the billions of dollars. Yet despite growing demand, research that examines the motivations, psychological processes, and conditions that influence consumers’ preferences for these products has been limited.

Even basic questions, such as whether consumers are more influenced by animal-welfare or environmental-benefit messages, have remained largely unanswered.

“Although vegan cosmetics are growing in popularity, we still know relatively little about what influences consumers’ decisions to buy them,” said Safizadeh.

Mona Safizadeh, a Ph.D. candidate in the University of Rhode Island’s College of Business, researched how brand messages influence consumers’ decisions to buy vegan cosmetics. (Credit: Mona Safizadeh)

Safizadeh’s research focuses on how brand messages influence consumers’ decisions to buy vegan cosmetics.

While most previous research on vegan consumption has focused on food, research examining non-food products such as cosmetics remains limited, especially in developed markets like the United States. 

In her research paper, “Taking Pride in Vegan Consumption: A Construal Level Theory Account of Ad Message Appeal and Future Self Connectedness,” published earlier this year in the peer-reviewed journal Psychology & Marketing, Safizadeh says that animal-welfare messages generally lead to stronger preferences for vegan cosmetics than messages focused on environmental benefits. 

She demonstrated this through three experiments. Participants viewed advertisements for vegan sunscreen, shampoo, and hand lotion featuring messages focused on animal welfare or environmental benefits. The researchers measured participants’ interest in buying the products, their product choices, and how much pride they expected to feel from buying vegan cosmetics. They also measured how much guilt participants expected to feel from buying nonvegan products. 

Researchers found that feelings of pride played a stronger role than feelings of guilt. Animal-welfare messages were more effective partly because they made consumers expect to feel proud about choosing vegan cosmetics.

The findings suggest that brands may be more successful when they help consumers feel good about choosing vegan products instead of trying to make them feel guilty about choosing nonvegan products.

“Animal-welfare claims such as ‘cruelty-free’ and ‘no animal testing’ focus on more immediate concerns, while claims such as ‘recyclable’ and ‘eco-friendly’ focus more on long-term environmental benefits,” said Safizadeh.

The research also shows that the way consumers think about the future and how they connect to their future selves can affect how they respond to advertising.

People who focus more on the future are more likely to respond to messages about long-term environmental benefits, while those focused more on the present are more likely to respond to animal-welfare messages that focus on more immediate effects.

Safizadeh said companies marketing to consumers who care about ethical and environmental issues should focus on creating positive feelings around their purchases rather than relying mainly on guilt. It is also important for marketers to understand how consumers think about the future versus simply grouping consumers by age.

“Companies should create messages that help consumers feel proud about choosing vegan products,” said Safizadeh. “They should also consider whether their audience responds more strongly to immediate animal-welfare concerns or long-term environmental benefits.”

As interest in vegan cosmetics continues to grow, the findings suggest that one advertising message may not work equally well for everyone. Brands may get better results by matching animal-welfare and environmental messages to the way their target consumers think about the present and the future.

https://www.uri.edu/news/2026/08/uri-ph-d-candidate-asks-what-motivates-people-to-buy-vegan-cosmetics/

One Month of Vegan Eating Alters Gene Activity Tied to Aging and Inflammation, Trial Finds

From vegconomist.com

Switching to a vegan diet for four weeks can change how certain genes behave, shifting activity in ways linked to immune function, metabolism, and cancer, according to a randomized clinical trial from researchers at the University of California San Diego and the University of Freiburg in Germany. The study was published in the journal MedComm.

The researchers analysed blood from 48 healthy adults who first spent a week on the same standardized diet, then switched to either a vegan or a meat-rich regime for one month. Both diets held calories constant, so any effects could not be explained by weight loss. Participants in the control group ate more than 150 grams of meat per day.

“Our biology is far more dynamic and responsive to everyday choices than we often assume”

The team tracked DNA methylation, a process that acts like a dimmer switch on genes, turning their activity up or down.

Jerome Mertens, associate professor of neurosciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine and co-senior author, said, “Our genes are not our destiny. The remarkable finding isn’t simply that one diet outperformed another. It’s that the epigenome responded measurably in just four weeks, showing that our biology is far more dynamic and responsive to everyday choices than we often assume.”

Image: Ella Olsson on Pexels

A shift toward less inflammation

The vegan group showed a move toward a calmer immune system, with fewer of the white blood cells that drive inflammation and more of the type that helps keep immune responses in check. Those predictions, drawn from the methylation data, matched actual blood counts taken during the trial.

“That agreement told us we weren’t just seeing changes on a computer screen. We were detecting real and meaningful biological changes,” said Lukas Karbacher, a neuroscience graduate student at UC San Diego and first author.

Mixed signals on aging

The researchers also estimated participants’ biological age using so-called epigenetic clocks, tools that gauge aging from molecular markers rather than birthdays. Two clocks built to predict health outcomes suggested the vegan diet slowed biological aging over the month. A third, designed to track chronological age, pointed the other way.

The authors are cautious. The study was small, ran for only a month, and the changes did not hold up once the data were adjusted for statistical rigor, a limitation the paper states plainly.

“Our study adds to growing evidence that nutrition can shape biology at the molecular level. The next step is to understand whether these epigenetic changes persist over time and whether they translate into meaningful improvements in long-term health. That will require larger clinical studies, but these findings provide an important foundation,” said Max Storz of University of Freiburg Medical Center and co-senior author. 

https://vegconomist.com/studies-numbers/one-month-vegan-eating-alters-gene-activity-tied-aging-inflammation-trial-finds/

Ben & Jerry’s launches vegan Cookie Dough ice cream

From favorflav.com

Good news for vegan ice cream lovers! Ben & Jerry’s is adding two new flavors to its Non-Dairy range. Finally, vegans can also taste why everyone is so enthusiastic about Cookie Dough 

The company started its Non-Dairy range in 2016 with four flavours; by now, that number has doubled. Still, it took a while for the most requested flavour to join the range. The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavour has long been a favourite among Ben & Jerry’s fans. “Our biggest challenge was creating a Cookie Dough flavour that stands alongside the original, but we succeeded,” says Ben & Jerry’s flavour guru Sarah Fidler. Thanks to this dairy-free version, vegans and people with lactose intolerance can now also enjoy this ultimate comfort ice cream.

Caramel Cluster

The other new flavour is exclusive to the Non-Dairy range and consists of a chocolate ice cream base with peanuts, caramel fudge and salted caramel swirls. For now, these flavours are only available in the United States; unfortunately, it is not yet known when they will come to the Netherlands. In the meantime, we can simply enjoy their other Non-Dairy flavours, such as Chunky Monkey or Chocolate Fudge Brownie.

https://favorflav.com/en/new/ben-jerrys-launches-vegan-cookie-dough-ice-cream/

Scientists ranked 20 popular protein sources – and tofu came out on top for people and the planet

From veganfoodandliving.com

Tofu has beaten 19 other popular protein sources in a new scientific scoring system that considers nutrition, affordability and environmental impact

If you’ve ever been asked where vegans get their protein, you might want to point them in the direction of a new paper from a University of Cambridge scientist.

Tofu has been crowned the best all-round source of protein in a new ranking that looked beyond protein content alone to consider how different foods affect both people and the planet.

The new Better Protein Institute (BPI) Score, developed by behavioural scientist Dr Chris Macdonald, compared 20 popular protein-rich foods across measures including nutritional quality, affordability, greenhouse gas emissions, land use and water use, and plant-based foods dominated the leaderboard.

Tofu took the number one spot overall, followed by chia seeds, beans and quinoa. In fact, every food in the top 20% of the ranking was plant-based.

At the other end of the table, the bottom four foods were all animal-derived: mozzarella, lamb, beef and cheddar, with cheddar receiving the lowest overall score.

                                                                                                                                            Photo © Pixel-Shot/Adobe

Why was tofu ranked the best source of protein?

Published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, the paper introduces the first version of the BPI Score, designed to offer a more rounded way of assessing protein sources.

Macdonald argues that existing systems, such as nutritional traffic-light labels and carbon-footprint scores, can be useful but only tell part of the story.

A food might appear favourable when judged on a single nutritional measure, for example, while carrying a much larger environmental footprint. The BPI Score therefore brings several measures together under two broad categories: people and planet, and tofu came out on top in both.

Tofu came out on top for the planet, using dramatically less land and producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions than many animal protein sources. Photo © nungning20/Adobe Stock

For the Planet Score, the study compared the greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, land use and freshwater use associated with producing 100g of protein from each food, with tofu achieving the maximum possible Planet Score of 16 out of 16.

The differences between some plant and animal proteins were striking. Producing 100g of protein from tofu was associated with around 0.61kg of CO2-equivalent emissions, compared with 64.19kg for beef – more than 100 times as much.

The land required showed a similarly dramatic difference; tofu used an estimated 2.16 square metres of land per 100g of protein, compared with 211.38 square metres for beef.

Freshwater use was also relatively low for tofu at 14.23 litres per 100g of protein. Meanwhile, beans used just 0.07 litres, while sunflower seeds used 6.68 litres.

Overall, tofu, chia seeds, beans and quinoa occupied the top 20% of the environmental ranking, while mozzarella, pork, cheddar and beef made up the bottom 20%.

Tofu tops the chart for nutrition and affordability

Environmental impact was only half of the equation in the study as the People Score considered health-related measures, including sodium, saturated fat and cholesterol, as well as whether each food provided all nine essential amino acids.

This last point is particularly notable given the persistent myth that plant proteins are somehow nutritionally “incomplete”. While not every plant food in the ranking was classed as a complete protein on its own, tofu was – providing all nine essential amino acids.

It’s also worth remembering that individual foods don’t need to contain every essential amino acid for a healthy diet. As the paper itself acknowledges, eating a varied selection of plant proteins throughout the day can provide all the amino acids the body needs.

Affordability and supermarket availability were also included in the People Score, with lentils emerging as the cheapest protein source assessed when prices were adjusted per 100g of protein.

Once all six People Score measures were combined, plant foods again occupied every position in the top 20%, with tofu first, followed by beans, lentils and chia seeds.

Plant proteins dominate the ranking

Combining the People and Planet scores gave tofu 36 points, making it the highest-scoring protein of the 20 foods assessed.

The overall ranking was:

Tofu

Chia seeds

Beans

Quinoa

Sunflower seeds

Lentils

Chicken breast

Tuna

Peanuts

Chickpeas

Walnuts

Brazil nuts

Salmon

Eggs

Pork chops

Cod

Beef steak

Lamb chops

Mozzarella

Cheddar

That means plant-based foods claimed six of the top six positions, as well as 10 of the top 12. In comparison, cheddar scored just 13 points overall, compared with tofu’s 36, after performing poorly across both the People and Planet measures.

Animal welfare could widen the gap further

Interestingly, the first version of the BPI Score doesn’t yet factor animal welfare into the final rankings.

Macdonald discusses animal ethics separately in the paper, arguing that including them in future versions of the scoring system could create an even greater divide between plant and animal protein sources.

He highlights what he describes as a “lose-lose trade-off” within animal agriculture: giving farmed animals more space may improve some aspects of their welfare, but doing so can require more agricultural land, potentially placing greater pressure on wildlife and biodiversity.

The paper also points to the sheer scale of animal agriculture, noting that more than 80 billion land animals are killed for meat globally each year.

Macdonald suggests future versions of the BPI Score could also incorporate factors such as antimicrobial resistance and the risk of zoonotic disease associated with animal agriculture.

Is tofu really the world’s ‘best’ protein?

There are some important caveats as this is the first iteration of a newly proposed scoring system rather than a definitive universal ranking of every protein source. The paper itself acknowledges several limitations, and Macdonald says a second version is already in development.

For example, affordability was calculated using prices from a single UK supermarket, meaning the results won’t necessarily reflect food costs elsewhere in the world. The relatively simple points system can also flatten some of the very large differences between foods.

The foods included aren’t exhaustive either as tempeh, seitan and many of the newer plant-based protein products aren’t among the 20 foods assessed.

Nevertheless, the results add to a growing body of evidence showing that choosing plant proteins can dramatically reduce the environmental footprint of our diets – without compromising on protein.

And for tofu fans, it’s another reason to celebrate one of the most versatile foods in the vegan kitchen.

As Macdonald concludes in the paper, our protein choices ultimately extend far beyond what’s on our plates, reflecting “the compassion we are willing to show to animals, to the planet, and to future generations.”

https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/news/tofu-ranked-the-best-protein-source-for-health-and-the-planet/