The environmental, health, and animal welfare challenges associated with meat consumption underscore the urgent need to reduce meat intake, particularly in high-income countries. This study investigated the impact of animal-related labels with varying emotional valences (negative, neutral, and positive) on reducing meat selection, focusing on their effects on dissociation, emotional responses, and moral licensing. In an online experiment with the four between-subjects conditions negative, neutral, positive, and no label, participants selected products from a simulated grocery store where labels with animal imagery of chicken, pigs, and cattle were displayed alongside meat products. Negative labels were found to be the most effective in reducing meat consumption as compared to the no label condition, primarily by disrupting state dissociation and eliciting empathy, disgust, and guilt. Compared to the no label condition, neutral labels had limited effects, whereas positive labels led to moral licensing, making meat consumption appear more acceptable. These findings shed light on the psychological processes that shape dietary behavior, highlighting the potential of animal-related labels to reduce dissociation and evoke emotional responses.

Schiller, J., Ruby, M. B., & Sproesser, G. (2025). A license to eat meat? Exploring processes underlying the effect of animal labels on meat consumption. Appetite, 215, 108242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2025.108242

Because of its negative consequences for animal welfare, human health, and the environment, many individuals and institutions are interested in reducing meat consumption. To achieve this goal, it is important to understand the reasons people have both to eat meat (e.g., liking the taste) and to avoid it (e.g., environmental concerns), and how these reasons relate to meat engagement. However, existing research often examines motivations and outcomes in relative isolation, rather than linking different types of motivations to multiple forms of engagement. Here, we examined how general motivations (i.e., overarching tendencies to endorse multiple reasons for and against eating meat) and specific motivations (e.g., taste, environmental concern) relate to various forms of meat engagement – including meat consumption measured through a survey and daily food tracking over 21 days, dietary identity, preferences, and reduction goals – in a sample of N = 4447 Swiss residents. General motivations to avoid meat were associated with lower meat engagement, whereas general motivations to eat meat were associated with higher meat engagement, with the latter effect being stronger. Furthermore, specific motivations were related to specific kinds of engagement. For example, taste was closely related to meat preference, disgust predicted lower identity and consumption, and environmental concern was more strongly linked to reduction goals. These findings suggest that general and specific motivations contribute in distinct ways to how people eat, relate to, and set goals around meat. This highlights the importance of understanding meat-related motivations across target groups to influence dietary attitudes and behavior.

Trenkenschuh, M., Graça, J., & Hopwood, C. J. (2025). Associations between motivations for and against eating meat with four types of meat engagement. Appetite, 108237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2025.108237

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Gagliardi, L., Borghini, A., & Lafraire, J. (2025). Disgust reactions and their justifications: The case of meat. Appetite, 213, 108083. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2025.108083 

The growing concern about the environmental impacts of livestock production has led to changes in consumers’ eating habits and the demand for technologies that promote a sustainable system. In Brazil, the concept brand “Low Carbon Brazilian Beef” (LCBB) was developed as a certification for beef from livestock systems that adopted specific practices to reduce enteric methane emissions. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of explanation on the meaning of LCBB on consumer intention to purchase of beef through rating conjoint analysis. An online questionnaire was applied in two experimental conditions: with explanation on the meaning of LCBB (n = 431) and no explanation on the meaning of LCBB (n = 423). Three label factors combined with different levels were considered: Price (low and high), LCBB seal (absent and present) and claim (sustainability claim, animal welfare claim, sensory claim and no claim). The results revealed that information about the meaning of LCBB increased consumers’ purchase intention. In both experimental conditions, price was the most important factor, followed by claims and the LCBB seal. Different consumer segments were identified in the two experimental conditions with distinct purchase intention about the attributes present on the beef label. The findings suggest that explaining the meaning of a new sustainable technology is an important tool to raise awareness and guide consumers about sustainable livestock production; however, price is still an important factor influencing sustainable consumption.

Lopes, C. M. de A., de Andrade, J. C., & Deliza, R. (2025). Does information matter? The effect of sustainability-related information on consumers’ intentions to purchase beef. Meat Science, 229, 109924. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2025.109924

This study redefines the impact of the BSE outbreak on EU dietary patterns, revealing a lasting shift toward plant-based consumption. Utilizing advanced difference-in-differences techniques on 1980-2020 data, we demonstrate that while beef consumption exhibited a transient U-shaped recovery relative to other meats, it declined sharply compared to plant-based products, with average reductions of 79%, 29%, and 28% for pulses, cereals, and vegetable oils, respectively. This highlights a structural dietary change, overlooked by previous analyses focused on meat substitution. Results are robust to sensitivity tests and support plant-based consumption policies that promote health and sustainability in response to meat safety scares.

Velásquez, J. (2025). From meat to plant-based products? The enduring impact of BSE on beef consumption (S. Ferguson, Trans.). Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. https://publications.slu.se/?file=publ/show&id=143078 

The Australian dairy industry is shrinking, and more sustainable alternative drinks are growing in popularity in this time of climate chaos and growing ethical awareness. This review examines the production and consumption of plant-based milk in Australia, and reasons for the dairy’s decline. Approximately 42% of Australian consumers buy plant-based milks, with soy and oat the most commonly purchased. Dairy production and consumption are in decline, although plant-based milk still has a smaller market share (9.5% in 2023). Public concerns that are driving the switch include animal welfare and the impact of dairy farming on the environment. Primary ethical and welfare concerns about dairy include the separation of calves from their mothers, the killing of ‘surplus’ calves, and the physical pain cows endure from lameness, mastitis, malnutrition and other diseases. Heat stress has been experienced by Australian dairy herds and is likely to get worse as the climate crisis continues. Farming cows produces more greenhouse gases than the farming of any other species, and the Australian dairy industry produces 3% of the country’s climate emissions. It is linked to environmental degradation including deforestation, habitat loss, and water pollution. Dairy farming uses vast amounts more water than soy or oat milk production, a particular concern in a country afflicted by droughts. The outlook for Australian dairy farming is a transition into other farming methods to meet the consumer demand for plant-based milk. Some growers and producers are diversifying into soy and oat crops and producing local plant-based milk and tofu that is retailed to the public. Is this the beginning of the end for dairy in Australia, and the emergence of an agricultural transition to bring a greener and more ethical future to all?

Bennett, C. E. (2025). Is the future of milk plant-based? Exploring dairy’s decline in Australia in a climate and ethical context . Animal Studies Journal, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.14453/asj.1642

Consumers’ concern about the environmental impact has triggered the need for available information on aspects related to the sustainability of the food products. Companies show consumers their environmental commitment and sustainability through certifications and sustainability labels. The present study aims to: (i) evaluate the presence of sustainability labels on the aquaculture and wild-caught fish products commercialised in Spain; (ii) study consumers’ knowledge of sustainability seals; (iii) analyse the main aspects that affect the purchase decisions of sustainable food products. The supply of fish and fishery products was determined by market research. A consumer opinion survey was performed to assess labelling relevance, knowledge about sustainability labels and purchasing preferences. In Spain, sustainability labels appear on more than one third of fish products, with large differences found between different retailers. More than half of the products sold in German discount stores featured some sustainability label, a figure three times higher than the rate of products found in the Spanish supermarkets. The consumer survey showed that most Spanish consumers do not regularly check labelling information related to the environment and animal welfare, and they are largely unaware of the meaning of sustainability labels. Nonetheless, the conjoint analysis showed that the presence of sustainability seals enhances fish product purchases, especially for aquaculture products. These results demonstrate that marine sustainability seals and certifications can be used by the fish industry to increase purchase intention and to revalorise their products. However, informing consumers about the meaning and importance of these certifications is still necessary.

Cantos, G., Fuentes, C., Fernández-Segovia, I., & Fuentes, A. (2026). Study of consumer perceptions of sustainable fishery products. Aquaculture, 610, 742926. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.742926

The increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in livestock farming is accelerating the development of automated welfare assessment tools, particularly with advancement in generative AI such as large multimodal models (LMMs). Yet, animal welfare scientists have rarely been involved in the development process of these tools or their subsequent adaptation within the field. Here, we discuss possible roles for animal welfare scientists in the development and validation of AI-based welfare assessment tools. We first examine key uncertainties that emerge during development, including the selection of relevant, valid and reliable welfare indicators and gold standards, hardware and software solutions for data collection, methods for integrating multiple welfare indicators, and the real-world impact of automated welfare assessment tools. Second, we demonstrate the use of LMMs to assess welfare based on a case study using dairy cow cleanliness. Finally, we consider the practical implementation of AI-based welfare assessment and discuss potential tensions around (1) embedded values in LMMs, (2) AI’s influence on decision-making on farms, (3) the integration of AI in current knowledge systems by human-AI collaboration, and (4) the economics of AI-based welfare assessment and improvement. We conclude that LMMs could help automate welfare assessment and communicate results to humans in accessible formats, but outcomes depend on which stakeholders are involved in the development process. We advocate for developing AI-based welfare assessment tools through the One Welfare framework, recognizing that AI deployment affects humans, animals, and the environment simultaneously, and suggest potential pathways for animal welfare scientists to engage in the process.

Foris, B., Sheng, K., Dürnberger, C., Oczak, M., & Rault, J.-L. (2025). AI for One Welfare: The role of animal welfare scientists in developing valid and ethical AI-based welfare assessment tools. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 12, 1645901. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2025.1645901

Animal welfare plays a key role in achieving sustainable development goals and addresses the growing concerns of citizens and consumers about animals and their products. This study, using the extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), aims to examine the social and psychological factors influencing pro-animal behavior among dairy farmers. Despite its importance, this topic has been less explored in the research literature of sustainability. Data for the research were collected through a cross-sectional survey and a closed-ended questionnaire from two groups of traditional (n = 122) and factory (n = 208) dairy farmers in Iran. A random sampling approach was used to select the samples. SPSS26 and SEM-PLS3 software were used for data analysis, assessment of measurement and structural models, hypothesis testing, and model validation. The results showed that attitude (Beta = 0.43; Sig = 0.0001), perceived behavioral control (Beta = 0.31; Sig = 0.0001), and subjective norms (Beta = 0.11; Sig = 0.01) had statistically significant and positive impacts on pro-animal behavior. According to the results, awareness of the consequences of pro-animal behavior had a statistically significant and positive impact on attitude towards pro-animal behavior (Beta = 0.54; Sig = 0.0001) and perceived behavioral control (Beta = 0.30; Sig = 0.0001). Additionally, perceived behavioral control (Beta = 0.12; Sig = 0.006) and subjective norms (Beta = 0.17; Sig = 0.0001) had a positive and significant impact on attitude towards pro-animal behavior. In general, the independent variables in the validated model of present study could account for 48 percent of pro-animal behavior variance as the dependent variable. This study, by extending and applying the TPB to analyze pro-animal behavior, not only contributes theoretically to the sustainability literature but also provides practical and valuable insights to facilitate the development of pro-animal behaviors and improve animal welfare for stockmen, decision-makers, and responsible organizations.

Mohammadzadeh, M., Hayati, D., & Valizadeh, N. (2025). Behavioral factors linking sustainability and animal welfare in dairy farming. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 26042. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-10260-2

In European animal welfare inspection on farms and at slaughter, inspectors encounter moral challenges that reveal the paradox at the heart of animal welfare. Against the harsh realities of industrial agriculture, not only are their idealized notions of animal wellbeing unrealizable, but inspectors are instrumental in perpetuating standards of welfare that they feel are unsatisfactory and at times inadequate. An ethnographic study across four European countries elaborates on the moral practice of care and the ways that veterinary epistemic regimes have been captured by audit rationalities. By focusing on those who audit, the ostensibly ‘powerful’ actors who are rarely studied in audit literature, I examine the ways that inspectors negotiate farmer, animal and their own welfare through the veterinary-audit gaze. This encompasses veterinary expertise and regulatory indicators but is not unaffected by farmer interests and the animals whose welfare they are responsible for safeguarding. Burdened with an illusory form of power, inspectors mitigate the alienation of audit by innovating ways to make a difference that counts. Amidst the growing prominence of veterinary knowledges in mediating human-animal relations, this article advances the emerging field of veterinary anthropology by describing how audit culture erodes the care that animates veterinary expertise.

Mc Loughlin, E. (2025). Change the world farm by farm: The moral care of audit and the paradox of animal welfare inspection in Europe. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9655.14306

This chapter examines recent and emergent developments around legal oversight of on-farm welfare, confinement bans, slaughter regulation (and deregulation), humanewashing, and welfare on certified organic farms. The chapter concludes by identifying and analysing a recurrent theme – the US Department of Agriculture’s failure to meaningfully protect farmed animal welfare, even when it has the authority and indeed mandate to do so – and proposing a future trajectory in light of that theme: the establishment of an animal protection agency. 

Winders, D. (2025). Farmed animal welfare (United States). In A. Peters, K. Stilt, & S. Stucki (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook on Global Animal Law. OUP. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5342182

The transition from conventional cage systems to cage-free egg production in China remains limited despite apparently increasing consumer demand for cage-free eggs. This study interviewed 15 large-scale Chinese egg producers using cages and/or cage-free systems (i.e. single-, multi-tier and free-range) to investigate the perceived challenges and opportunities during the transition. The cage farms’ scales range from 110,000 to 30 million, while the cage-free farms keep between 12,000 and 300,000 laying hens. Drawing upon the COM-B model of the Behaviour Change Wheel, this study explored how producers’ Capabilities, Opportunities, and Motivations impact decision-making processes. Key findings reveal that cage and cage-free producers considered consumer demand and profitability as primary drivers for adopting cage-free systems. While free-range producers were more confident in the market, barn system producers faced greater uncertainty due to limited engagement from corporate buyers. Moreover, these cage-free producers believed reliable certification and labelling schemes to be critical for building consumer trust and ensuring the success of cage-free operations. All the participants perceived access to sufficient land and financial resources to be essential for a successful transition. While most studies propose education as a long-term strategy to promote the growth of the cage-free egg sector, our findings are the first to highlight that engaging corporate buyers and establishing trustworthy certification schemes are the most crucial short-term interventions required to drive the development of large-scale cage-free farms and support sustained improvements in animal welfare in China.

Yang, Q., Langford, F., Vigors, B., Zhao, R., & Dwyer, C. M. (2025). From cages to cage-free: A qualitative exploration of Chinese egg producers’ views on the opportunities and challenges to adopting cage-free egg production systems in China. Animal Welfare (South Mimms, England), 34, e48. https://doi.org/10.1017/awf.2025.10019

The growing recognition of animal sentience has led to notable progress in European Union animal welfare legislation. However, a significant inconsistency remains: while mammals, birds, and cephalopods are legally protected as sentient beings, honeybees (Apis mellifera)—despite robust scientific evidence of their cognitive, emotional, and sensory complexity—are excluded from such protections. This manuscript examines, from an interdisciplinary perspective, the divergence between emerging evidence on invertebrate sentience and current EU legal frameworks. Honeybees and cephalopods serve as comparative case studies to assess inconsistencies in the criteria for legal recognition of sentience. Findings increasingly confirm that honeybees exhibit advanced cognitive functions, emotional states, and behavioral flexibility comparable to those of legally protected vertebrates. Their omission from welfare legislation lacks scientific justification and raises ethical and ecological concerns, especially given their central role in pollination and ecosystem stability. In general, we advocate for the inclusion of Apis mellifera in EU animal welfare policy. However, we are aware that there are also critical views on their introduction, which we address in a dedicated paragraph of the manuscript. For this reason, we advocate a gradual and evidence-based approach, guided by a permanent observatory, which could ensure that legislation evolves in parallel with scientific understanding, promoting ethical consistency, sustainable agriculture, and integrated health under the One Health framework. This approach would meet the concerns of consumers who consider well-being and respect for the environment as essential principles of breeding, and who carefully choose products from animals raised with systems that respect welfare, with indisputable economic advantages for the beekeeper.

Bava, R., Formato, G., Liguori, G., & Castagna, F. (2025). Honeybee sentience: scientific evidence and implications for EU animal welfare policy. Veterinary Sciences, 12(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci12070661

This report describes the impact of the European Chicken Commitment (ECC) broiler production system on economics, the environment and food safety. ECC is a production system with improved animal welfare with use of slower growing broilers, lower density and enrichment. The results show that, in average for six EU countries the production costs increase with 19% at farm level, 16% after slaughter and 19% after processing. The carbon footprint is 6% higher at farm level (per kg live weight) and 11% higher after processing (per kg meat). For food safety, use of antibiotics is an indicator. Field data of the Netherlands show that use of antibiotics on farms with slow growing broilers is 80 to 85% lower compared to conventional broiler production systems.

van Horne, P., van Harn, J., Mostert, P., Bondt, N., & Vissers, L. (2025). Impact of the European Chicken Commitment (ECC) broiler production system on economics, the environment and food safety. Wageningen Social & Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.18174/698861

Chickens reared for meat (“broilers”) are farmed extensively in the EU, with approximately 13.3 million tonnes of poultry meat being produced from around six billion chickens annually.

The industry is facing critical challenges that impact animal welfare, public health, and legislative clarity. Common practices within the broiler sector, including farming birds at high stocking densities and breeding them to grow very quickly, have raised serious concerns about their welfare. Public health implications related to pathogen transmission and antimicrobial resistance are also becoming increasingly pressing.

In its revision of the EU’s animal welfare legislation, policy-makers must include much stronger measures to improve the welfare of chickens reared for meat. This report outlines key recommendations for legislating on the critical issues of stocking density and breed, and illustrates how by focusing on these areas, it is possible to enhance animal welfare, improve public health outcomes, and more within this field.

Eurogroup for Animals. (2025f). Policy indicators for broiler welfare: The critical roles of breed selection and stocking density. https://www.eurogroupforanimals.org/library/policy-indicators-broiler-welfare-critical-roles-breed-selection-and-stocking-density 

Historically the study of animal behaviour and cognition has been driven by aspects of basic science curiosity including the desire to better understand evolution and natural selection. The comparative psychology approach to behaviour and cognition has been used to uncover the underlying principles of behaviour that apply across species thereby shedding light on human psychology. Research on behaviour and cognition is also essential for enhancing animal welfare by providing insights into animal needs and preferences. Further studying behaviour and cognition helps to illuminate the complex relationships between humans and animals thereby contributing to better welfare outcomes. Thus it is essential to effectively communicate research findings to stakeholders and especially the general public when it comes to behaviour and cognition research that has welfare implications. Despite a global population of more than one billion goats have historically received limited attention in terms of behaviour and welfare research possibly due to their relatively low numbers in the Global North. Over the past decade our goat research has shown for example how they express their emotions as well as how goats perceive emotions in conspecifics and humans. We have also demonstrated their remarkable physical and social cognition abilities including long-term memory thus challenging the notion that goats are unintelligent. To disseminate our behaviour and cognition findings and thus improve goat welfare we have utilized press releases and engaged extensively with stakeholders. As a result our research findings have been used to advance formal welfare guidelines particularly regarding handling and transportation. In conclusion we advocate for greater public engagement by animal behaviour researchers especially when their research findings have welfare implications. Through stakeholder engagement researchers can reach a larger audience for their results and ultimately improve animal lives.

McElligott, A. G. (2025, August). Using behaviour and cognition research to advance animal welfare impact. 38th International Ethological Congress (Behaviour 2025). https://scholars.cityu.edu.hk/en/publications/using-behaviour-and-cognition-research-to-advance-animal-welfare-/

The veterinary profession has clarified its dual animal welfare duty: to continue advocating the welfare of animals under the care of individual veterinary surgeons – as required by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) declaration in the UK, and similar international veterinary oaths – as well as to provide societal leadership to address the root causes of systemic animal welfare problems. Veterinary animal welfare strategies and policy positions are supporting action on this broader leadership responsibility, including providing guidance for clinical practitioners. Veterinary animal welfare advocacy is developing purposefully and is essential, particularly in the context of growing societal scrutiny of veterinary work and global sustainability imperatives.

Wensley, S. (2025). Vets speaking up for animal welfare. In Veterinary controversies and ethical dilemmas: provocative reflections on clinical practice (pp. 356–367). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003449300-47

Environmental enrichment (EE) has gained attention as a strategy to add complexity to fish rearing systems. In juvenile salmonids, EE has been found to improve welfare, growth, and survival. While numerous studies investigated the effects of enrichment in laboratory settings, research under practical or field conditions has not been reported so far. In the present study, we implemented EE on three commercial salmonid hatcheries and compared enriched and conventional barren rearing. The study was conducted during two stages of the early rearing of brown trout and char. Eggs, alevins and fingerlings were reared in barren hatching trays and trays that were enriched with gravel (4–8 mm). Fingerlings were then reared in hatching troughs that were either enriched with a layer of sand (< 2 mm) or left without. When reared on gravel, char grew significantly better in terms of weight and length when compared to barren rearing. Brown trout were found to be smaller in body length when reared on gravel while no difference was found in body weight. Enriching hatching troughs with sand did not affect growth in both species. Farmers, however, reported behavioral changes and were very positive about using EE. Enrichment of trays and troughs could be easily implemented on the hatcheries. Farmers reported increased labor when using gravel for enrichment of trays, but not when enriching the hatching troughs with sand. To our knowledge, this is the first published study on the implementation of EE in commercial salmonid hatcheries confirming its feasibility under conditions of practice.

Reiser, S., Illing, B., Pohlmann, D. M., & Focken, U. (2026). Environmental enrichment during early rearing of salmonids: Practical implementation in commercial hatcheries. Aquaculture, 611, 742995. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.742995

This study sought to evaluate the physiological stress responses of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) to varying stocking densities by analyzing heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV). All experiments were conducted in flow-through tanks under both normal- and high-density conditions. Bio-loggers were implanted in the fish to continuously monitor their heart rates and HRV over a 25-day period. The collected data were processed using the Mercury software, using only high-quality heart rate data. To evaluate HRV, the coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated, offering a standardized measure of heart rate variability. The fish in the high-density environments exhibited significantly higher heart rates and lower HRVs than those in normal-density environments. Elevated plasma cortisol levels in the high-density group (p < 0.05) further validated the stress responses indicated by heart rate and HRV. These findings suggest that high-density conditions induce significant stress in olive flounder, potentially reducing physiological adaptability and autonomic nervous system balance due to sympathetic dominance. This underscores the importance of density management in aquaculture to enhance fish welfare and highlights HRV analysis as a reliable, non-invasive tool for stress assessment.

Kwon, I., & Hwang, J.-A. (2026). Heart rate variability as a neurophysiological biomarker of stress and welfare in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) under varying stocking densities. Aquaculture, 610, 742931. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.742931

In aquaculture, the interactions and balance—or imbalance—between the fish, the rearing environment, pathogens, and farm management determine the occurrence and impact of clinical diseases. The global assessment of the factors related to disease impact is commonly referred to as disease burden. This assessment goes beyond the economic consequences of mortality and morbidity, encompassing additional economic factors related to disease management, as well as broader social and political consequences. The concept of disease burden is gaining relevance in aquaculture, where disease poses serious threats to animal welfare, productivity, and economic sustainability. At the farm level, the consideration of fish as living assets includes aspects such as direct mortality, indirect effects of mortality, and morbidity. Furthermore, the impact of disease on key performance indicators, routine operations, and planned productivity are important consequences. Diseases on fish farms also require effective management, whether through the implementation of treatments or through preventive and biosecurity measures, both of which can have indirect impacts that must be properly analyzed. In many cases, the risks associated with disease necessitate appropriate surveillance by farms or regulatory authorities, and the cost of such surveillance and insurances should be considered part of the overall disease burden. Other important aspects such as the impact on animal welfare, wellbeing of farm staff, integration of the concept into certification schemes, and issues related to social perception, acceptance, and prestige are also examined. In addition, macroeconomic factors such as market impacts, governance, and a special emphasis on the One Health approach are addressed.

Padros, F., Rodger, H., Constenla, M., Herrero, A., Glucksman, M., Allepuz, A., & Zarza, C. (2025). The disease burden in fish farm management: An integrative view and a specific vision in Europe. Reviews in Aquaculture, 17(4). https://doi.org/10.1111/raq.70055 

Objective  A sustainable meal menu is important as it addresses various environmental and social concerns associated with food production and consumption. This study aims to compare the nutritional, environmental, and diet quality of omnivorous and vegetarian menus concerning sustainable nutrition.

Methods  One-month meal data was obtained from a university’s website. The dietary quality of the menus was determined by Healthy Eating Index-2015. The meals’ macro and micronutrients, and antioxidant capacities were analyzed with the BeBiS programme. Carbon, water and ecological footprint calculations were made using the food quantities obtained from the recipes of the menus.

Results  Omnivorous menus were higher in energy, in total protein, essential amino acids, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, n-6, vitamin E, riboflavin, niacin, B6, B12, iron, phosphorus, and zinc. Vegetarian menus were higher in fiber. There was no significant difference between the two menus regarding total Healthy Eating Index-2015 scores. The carbon, water and ecological footprint of omnivorous menus is significantly higher than the footprint of vegetarian menus.

Conclusion  When omnivorous and vegetarian menus were compared according to environmental, and diet quality vegetarian menus were more sustainable. Although both menus are not different in terms of HEI-2015, the amount of protein is lower in vegetarian menus. By diversifying with quality protein sources like legumes, eggs, pseudocereals, or oilseeds, professional-prepared vegetarian menus are required. In order to reduce the carbon, water and ecological footprints of omnivorous menus, reducing animal-based foods, including more plant-based foods and ensuring diversity, as in vegetarian menus, will contribute to sustainable nutrition.

Zengin, F. H., & Tatar, T. (2025). Comparison of vegetarian and omnivorous menus in nutrients, diet quality and environmental impact. Revista de Nutrição, 38. https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-9865202538e230251

Restaurants contribute a significant carbon footprint (CF), with the food service sector responsible for 18% of food-related global CF. This impact arises from energy-intensive processes, carbon-intensive ingredient sourcing, inefficient waste management, and upstream and downstream supply chain activities. Notably, commercial kitchens exhibit carbon footprints 2–5 times greater than those of other commercial spaces. This review synthesizes recent empirical and theoretical literature on carbon footprint reduction strategies in restaurants, with emphasis on the application of life cycle assessment (LCA), IPCC methodologies, and material flow analysis (MFA) across diverse regional contexts. Green technologies such as the integration of solar, biogas, and biodiesel systems have been shown to reduce GHG emissions by 20–75%, while composting and food waste valorization can mitigate methane emissions by up to 30%. Menu-based interventions, including the substitution of beef with plant-based proteins and regionally sourced ingredients, offer substantial emissions reductions at the meal level. Despite these advances, the review identifies persistent challenges, including data inconsistency, underreporting of Scope 3 emissions, and limited adoption of standardized carbon accounting frameworks such as ISO 14064, PAS 2050. The findings highlight the need for harmonized assessment tools, integration of digital monitoring technologies, and cross-sector collaboration to enable consistent benchmarking and guide the sector toward carbon neutrality. This review provides a roadmap for advancing low-carbon transitions through operational, behavioral, and policy-driven interventions in the global restaurant industry.

Yang, S.-Y., Huang, C.-E., Mwangi, J. K., Mutuku, J. K., & Chang-Chien, G.-P. (2025). Green technology innovations for carbon footprint reduction in the restaurant industry: A systematic review. Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 25(8), 42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44408-025-00042-w

This chapter highlights the critical role of human behavior in the One Health framework, highlighting the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. It underscores the limitations of traditional, siloed approaches, presenting the Behavior Change Wheel (BCW) as a structured methodology for designing effective interventions. The BCW, when contextualized within ecological and biosocial frameworks, and utilizing the COM-B model (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation–Behavior), provides a systematic approach to understanding and modifying health-related behaviors. Furthermore, this chapter will advocate that the BCW should be integrated with systems thinking to address the complex, dynamic nature of One Health challenges. By incorporating feedback loops, leverage points, and mental models, a more holistic understanding of these challenges can be achieved. Furthermore, the “socializing One Health” concept emphasizes the importance of social sciences in shaping effective interventions. Future directions should focus on developing integrated frameworks, creating dynamic simulation models, expanding interdisciplinary research, and implementing participatory approaches to enhance One Health outcomes.

Quan, N. K., & Liamputtong, P. (2024). Human behavior and one health: A framework for change. In P. Liamputtong (Ed.), Handbook of concepts in health, health behavior and environmental health (pp. 1–23). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-0821-5_45-1

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Mazhar, W. (2025). Sustainable consumption: Understanding the environmental and psychological aspects of food consumption [Doctoral dissertation]. https://repozitorium.omikk.bme.hu/bitstreams/4c3b55fb-151a-4375-92a1-0caddd69568a/download 

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Hearn, S., & Lawrence, N. (2025). A comparison of participant characteristics and psychological predictors of meat and alcohol reduction in Veganuary and Dry January. Appetite, 213, 108092. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2025.108092 

Transitioning to healthy diets with low environmental impact is crucial for achieving sustainable food systems and reducing health issues. Promoting healthy dietary habits and raising awareness are key actions in this shift, with governments playing a significant role through public procurement and food-based dietary guidelines. Specifically, school dietary guidelines can foster sustainable eating behaviors among children. This article examines Catalonia, a North-East Spanish region, where the Public Health Agency (ASPCAT) has issued school dietary guidelines since 2005, updated in 2012, 2017, and 2020. The goal of this study was to assess the progressive changes in the environmental impacts of school menus for children aged 7–12 years following the four versions of ASPCAT guidelines. Additionally, it aimed to identify trade-offs among various environmental metrics, pinpoint food groups contributing most to environmental impacts, and propose strategies to further reduce the environmental impact of school meals. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was applied. Inventories were obtained from Agribalyse v3.2 database, and characterized through sixteen individual environmental indicators and the composite one from the Product Environmental Footprint v3.1 methodology. Results showed a decrease in environmental impacts with each guideline update. Menus aligned with the 2020 guidelines had 23 % lower environmental impacts compared to those based on the 2017 guidelines, and 40 % lower than those based on the 2005 guidelines. All individual environmental indicators showed reductions in 2020 compared to 2005, ranging from 5 % to 52 %. Second dishes, mainly meat and fish, contributed most to environmental impacts. Replacing meat and fish with plant-based proteins, combined with a more diversified cereal intake, could reduce dietary environmental impacts by approximately 50 %. By identifying major contributors and suggesting potential improvements, our findings can contribute to the revision of the guidelines of Spain for healthy and sustainable school meals.

Benito-Cobeña, J., Batlle-Bayer, L., Bach-Faig, A., Giner, M. P., Salvador, G., Manera, M., Blanquer, M., Vila, L., Roca, M., & Fresán, U. (2025). Evolution, trade-offs and optimization of the environmental impact of school meal dietary recommendations. The Science of the Total Environment, 995, 180102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.180102

Perceived social barriers significantly impede meat reduction efforts, yet little is known about whether individuals accurately predict others’ emotional responses to vegetarian meal requests in social settings. This study examines ‘empathic forecasting errors’ – systematic mispredictions of others’ emotional reactions – in relation to these requests. Using an experimental vignette approach, we surveyed 1,068 UK meat eaters to measure their affective responses to vegetarian meal requests across four dining scenarios (a pub carvery, a BBQ, a dinner party and a restaurant meal), yielding 4,178 observations. Additionally, in a parallel survey, 444 UK adults who abstain from or restrict their meat consumption predicted the meat eaters’ reactions to the same four scenarios (1,776 observations). Combining the data on requesters and their company, we find that vegetarian meal requesters systematically mispredict meat eaters’ reactions, consistently ‘expecting the worst’: they significantly underestimate positive emotional responses (6 out of 10 positive emotions) and overestimate negative reactions (all 10 negative emotions). These empathic forecasting errors occur regardless of whether requesters disclose their diet type or motives. These mispredictions may act as psychological barriers to sustainable dietary shifts by discouraging vegetarian meal requests in social situations, suggesting that interventions addressing these forecasting errors could support more plant-based eating behaviours.

Laffan, K., & Howard, D. E. (2025). Expecting the worst: Empathic forecasting errors and vegetarian meal requests. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5371001

Background

The global food system is responsible for climate change, biodiversity loss, and land-use changes. At the same time, the prevalence of diet-related, chronic diseases is increasing worldwide. A dietary shift to a plant-based diet could protect both planetary and individual health. Nudging can positively influence dietary choices. We investigated how different nudges influenced inpatients’ choices of plant-based menus.

Methods

A quasi-experimental study was conducted across three consecutive four-week phases at the University Hospital Essen, Germany. In the baseline phase, inpatients chose meals from a standard menu without any intervention. In a second phase, an order nudge was applied by listing the plant-based dish first on the menu. In the third phase, a combined nudge was applied, adding a verbal recommendation to the order nudge. Data from 6,575 inpatients (mean age: 57.3 ± 18.7; 50.6% female) covering 26,949 meal choices were analyzed using logistic regression and generalized linear modeling.

Results

Independent of nudging, female sex and younger age predicted plant-based menu choices (p <. 001, respectively). Controlling for the effects of sex and age, patients were nearly twice as likely to choose the plant-based menu during both intervention phases compared to baseline (order nudge: OR = 1.95; 95% CI [1.55–2.45]; p <.001; combined nudge: OR = 1.95; 95% CI, [1.56–2.44]; p <.001). However, there was no significant difference in plant-based menu selection between the two nudges (OR = 1.00; 95% CI [0.80–1.25]; p =.992). Subgroup analyses further revealed that both women and men as well as middle-aged (36–64 years) and older adults (≥ 65 years), but not younger adults (18–35), were significantly more likely to select plant-based menus during the interventions compared to baseline. Among both sexes and across all age groups, no differences in plant-based meal selection were found between the order and the combined nudge (all p >.001).

Hünninghaus, K., Schäfer, H. C., Plonka, M., Vallejo, R. M., Dobos, G., & Haller, H. (2025). Exploring nudging strategies for plant-based dietary choices in hospital patients: A quasi-experimental study. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 22(1), 86. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-025-01793-w 

This study examines the factors driving changes in meat consumption among young adults in Germany and Italy—two high-income countries that, despite their distinct culinary traditions, have seen a convergence in meat consumption levels in recent years. The research addresses two aims: to examine the role of environmental attitudes in shaping dietary choices and to explore the impact of socio-demographic factors on meat-consumption patterns. The analysis employs the General Ecological Behavior (GEB) scale, a robust tool that provides a comprehensive assessment of pro-environmental attitudes as latent traits influencing behavior. It is complemented by the Random Forest, a machine learning algorithm that helps exploring complex, non-linear relationships among predictors. Data were collected from 580 respondents aged 18–30 through an online survey. The results reveal that environmental attitude is the strongest predictor of dietary habits, followed by household composition. German respondents, with higher environmental attitudes, were more likely to adopt vegetarian or vegan diets, whereas Italian respondents, influenced also by family dynamics, tended towards meat-based or flexitarian diets. These findings highlight the importance of gaining a deeper understanding of the underlying motivations behind the transition to a flexitarian diet, which could serve as a model for the future of meat consumption in Europe.

Peri, M., Trentinaglia, M. T., Adler, M., Zanaboni, A. M., & Baldi, L. (2025). Framing the meat consumption transition: A statistical learning approach to explore the factors shaping young adults’ food choices in Germany and Italy. Meat Science, 228, 109899. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2025.109899

A number of universities have implemented policies to increase the proportion of plant-based items offered by their food services as part of efforts to promote environmental sustainability and health. This article explores student freedom as an ethical issue in this context. Our central claim is that, while freedom is indeed an important ethical concern for university plant-based food initiatives, these efforts can avoid unjustifiably interfering with freedom if certain conditions are met. We suggest four criteria: (1) public messaging surrounding dietary choices should avoid stigmatizing meat-eating, (2) menus should retain some animal-source foods and ensure that plant-based substitutes included nutritionally fortified and whole food options, (3) the aggressiveness of the transition should be calibrated to student support, and (4) plant-based menu items should be appealing on their own terms.

Steel, D., Crookall, B., Phillips, C. L., DesRoches, C. T., & Mintz-Woo, K. (2025). Freedom and the ethics of plant based diets in university food services. Food Ethics, 10(2), 17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41055-025-00176-y

Foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) are detrimental to people’s health, social well-being and the environment. Minimum unit pricing has shown potential to reduce cigarette and alcohol consumption, but it is unpopular in the food and drinks sectors. This research aims to simulate the shadow price or minimum price for HFSS that could potentially reduce demand by 10 %, and estimate the impacts on nutrition, climate and economic welfare in Scotland. The Linear Approximate Exact Affine Stone Index (LA/EASI) demand model was applied to household consumption data from Kantar Worldpanel (KWP) to derive elasticities that were used to simulate the minimum prices for the HFSS categories considered. Greenhouse gas emission estimates were derived from the SHARP Indicators Database (SHARP-ID) to estimate CO2-eq changes, and the log of living cost index was used to estimate the economic welfare effect of the policy. The expected minimum increment in prices with respect to the baseline price was approximately 28 % for edible ices and ice cream, 9 % for sugary drinks and 10–17 % for total puddings and desserts; biscuits and savouries; and confectionery, cakes, pastries and sugar morning goods. This had implications for non-targeted foods. For instance, the purchase of fruit and vegetables decreased by 0.47 % and 0.82 % respectively, whilst sugar and preserve purchases increased by 1.30 %, marginally discounting the benefits of the policy. On the positive side, purchases of meat, fish and alcohol decreased, and dairy product purchases increased. For the average per capita dietary carbon footprint, the policy reduced net average total CO2-eq emissions by 0.7 %. However, consumers would require a 12.3 % increase in expenditure to consume the same basket of food as before the price change. In summary, although the policy is expected to improve climate health, there will be negative unintended effects on non-targeted foods, as well as economic welfare loss if consumers decide not to change their consumption habits. It is recommended that policymakers consider the net total effect of the minimum pricing before introducing it in the food and drinks sector.

Dogbe, W., Huang, K., & Revoredo-Giha, C. (2025). Impacts of a minimum pricing policy on high fat, sugar and sodium (HFSS) foods: Environmental, dietary and welfare analysis. Economics and Human Biology, 58, 101514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2025.101514

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Garnett, E. E., Biggs, L., Coker, E., Becker, E., & Pechey, R. (2025). Meating your match: Impact of matched vs. unmatched meat and plant-based options on plant-based meal selections in an online hypothetical randomised control trial. Appetite, 213, 108084. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2025.108084 

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Cambriels, C., Magnier, M., Levasseur, P., & Davidenko, O. (2025). Nutritional quality of vegetarian offer in French university catering: From the kitchen to the tray. Appetite, 213, 108073. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2025.108073 

Promoting a plant-based diet has become an important goal in tackling modern environmental challenges. While research examining the motivations behind plant-based diet have been conducted extensively in developed Western countries, evidence is lacking in developing countries including China, with the world’s largest population and a rising meat demand. We examined three main motivations for plant-based diet (health, environmental and animal welfare) in Study 1 (cross-sectional survey N = 1000 across 25 provinces in China) and Study 2 (quasi-experimental field study in the cafeteria of an international joint venture University based in China [N = 35,471 food transactions over 19 weeks]). While Study 1 suggested that health and animal welfare motivations were the most significant predictors of choosing a plant-based diet, objective consumer choices from Study 2 showed more nuanced effects. More plant-based consumption was promoted by messages emphasizing animal and environmental benefits, but a reduction in actual meat consumption was only achieved when messages highlighting potential harms to human health were displayed. These results, as well as a misalignment between eating more vegetables and less meat dishes are subject to discussion and proposals for future research.

Shi, K., Xia, Z., Gu, H., & Nisa, C. (2025). Promoting plant-based diet in China: Testing health, environmental and animal welfare motivational messages. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 58, 165–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2025.06.013

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Flynn, A. N., Takahashi, T., & Brunstrom, J. M. (2025). Strategic menu swaps in UK hospitals could reduce the carbon footprint of meals by one-fifth without needing to change recipes. Appetite, 213, 108082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2025.108082 

Scientific evidence supports the need to adapt food systems, counteracting the current scenario characterized by excessive and growing consumption of animal products that translates into high environmental impact, unsustainability, and negative effects on health. The food services are responsible for a high and increasing carbon footprint, emerging as a sector that promotes food sustainability through the adaptation of its operational processes and food supply. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of menu reformulation and changes in the food offer on consumers’ perception and acceptance at a food service unit. A study with two stages was conducted using a convenience sample of canteen consumers (n = 55), and canteen employees (n = 6) to which a self-completion questionnaire was applied. Participants were mostly female (76.2%) and had a mean age of 40 ± 9.4 years. Menus were reformulated in stage one; stage two included food offer reformulation. Meat was considered the most important food group in both studies. Food and nutrition were highlighted as important to consumers (>80%) with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). Most participants did not notice the changes made in the study (>55%). Only 32.4% of the participants were satisfied with the proposed changes, but approximately 65.8% were willing to keep the suggested changes in the future. The results of this study present clues and opportunities for strategies to change the food offer of the food service aiming to healthier and more sustainable meals.

Rocha, A., Viegas, C., & Gonçalves, S. (2025). Turning the table toward plant-based: Different perspectives on menu reformulation in food service. Frontiers in Nutrition, 12, 1601979. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2025.1601979

Facilitating sustainable dietary transitions is crucial for addressing the climate crisis, yet changing individual eating behaviours – particularly in meat-centric food cultures – remains challenging. This study examines different psychological factors underlying plant-based eating, with a focus on meat-centric meal perception – the tendency to view meat as the essential component of a proper meal. Data were collected via an online questionnaire from 592 meat-eating adults aged 20 to 70 (evenly recruited across five age groups) in Australia (N = 325) and Denmark (N = 267), two of the world’s highest meat-consuming countries. Participants completed validated measures of familiarity with plant-based meals, food neophobia, cognitive reflection, and meat-centric meal perception. A more meat-centric meal perception was correlated with consuming fewer plant-based meals in Australia r(323) = – 0.36, p < 0.001 and Denmark r(265) = – 0.42, p < 0.001. Mediation analyses showed that higher familiarity with plant-based meals was associated with a less meat-centric meal perception, which in turn was related to higher plant-based eating among Australians (indirect effect = 0.34, 95 % CI [0.183, 0.534]) and Danes (indirect effect = 0.45, 95 % CI [0.267, 0.673]). Food neophobia was associated with lower plant-based eating in both countries, with an additional negative indirect effect via meat-centric meal perception in Denmark. Cognitive reflection showed no significant association with either meal perception or plant-based eating. These findings highlight meat-centric meal perception as a key psychological barrier to plant-based eating and underscore the importance of familiarity and food neophobia in shaping meal perceptions, offering valuable insights for promoting sustainable dietary change.

Rao, R., Liem, D. G., & Wang, Q. J. (2025). Understanding the barriers to plant-based dietary change: The role of meat-centric meal perception among adults in Australia and Denmark. Appetite, 108240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2025.108240 

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Davis, T., Duncan, S., Gregson, R., Garnett, E., Piazza, J., Simpson, S., & Papies, E. K. (2025). We are what ‘we’ eat: How do close social relationship dynamics in the household impact the sustainability of diets? Appetite, 213, 108077. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2025.108077 

Research on human–animal relationships suggests that close bonds with animals can enhance empathy, reduce speciesism, and improve human physical and psychological health. This study investigated whether pet ownership—particularly attachment to a companion animal during childhood—is associated with differences in moral concerns toward all animals in adulthood. It also aimed to explore the potential effects of empathy and speciesism on overall moral concerns toward animals. Using self-report questionnaires among 72 participants recruited online, the analyses revealed a significant effect of animal categories on moral concerns, F(1, 1.98) = 59.37, p < 0.001. Mean moral concern scores were significantly higher for companion animals (M = 6.04, SD = 1.15) than for food animals (M = 4.90, SD = 1.44), unappealing wild animals (M = 4.20, SD = 1.87), and appealing wild animals (M = 5.73, SD = 1.32), p < 0.05. Additionally, childhood pet owners reported greater moral concerns for all animals, F(1, 1.98) = 4.87, η2 = 0.065, p < 0.05. Attachment to a companion animal in childhood was positively correlated with moral concerns for all animal categories. Finally, although attachment and empathy were both positively related to moral concern, only attachment was a significant predictor (p < 0.05). Further research is needed to understand the psychological mechanisms influencing views on animal rights and welfare.

Berger-Meunier, L., Smith, D. S., Marec-Breton, N., & Bonneton-Botté, N. (2025). “Animals are my friends”: Exploring the relationship between animal companionship in childhood and moral concerns in adulthood. IECA 2025, 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2025045002 

Our willingness to care for the natural world depends, in large part, on our attitudes toward living kinds. In this study, we explored the extent to which learning facts about animals would influence children’s and adults’ attitudes and moral concerns for the welfare of animals. Participants’ (N = 115) attitudes were assessed before and after exposure to different types of information (taxonomic and idiosyncratic) about target animals, and were presented with moral dilemmas about those animals, and an opportunity to donate to animal-related charities. Results showed that idiosyncratic facts led to significantly more positive attitude changes in adults and older children, but not in younger children. Moral judgments against the harm of animals were consistently high across groups, irrespective of information type. Biocentric reasoning was more prevalent than anthropocentric reasoning overall, and younger children showed increased biocentric reasoning, particularly when exposed to taxonomic facts and when they developed more positive attitudes. Donation behavior was also predicted by attitude change across all age groups, with younger children especially influenced by the type of information received. These results have important implications for understanding the psychological processes that underlie how children and adults think about the environment and conditions that threaten the well-being of living kinds.

Sipone, V., & Lawson, C. A. (2025). Dancing bees, singing whales: The impact of idiosyncratic and taxonomic information on attitudes toward and moral reasoning about animals. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221325.2025.2532440

Is journalism solely responsible for accounting for human narratives? Furthermore, in times marked by heightened environmental awareness, is the journalistic industry conveying stories that encompass standpoints beyond the human realm? To gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between the journalistic industry and news narratives on nonhuman publics, this study examines the overall perceptions of 56 mainstream U.S. journalists regarding news coverage, particularly focused on farmed animals, through in-depth interviews. Farmed animals provide a critical entry point for examining the (mis)representation of animals, as they are often depicted by their body parts rather than as individual beings. Fraser’s (1990) critique of the public sphere is employed to conceptualize animals as constituents of weak publics affected by normative speciesist press coverage. Findings indicate two clusters of journalists perceiving press coverage of animals: one that understands journalism as solely a practice to report on matters that impact humans, and another cluster that engages with the misrepresentation of animals in news coverage. Intersectional ecofeminism and critical animal and media studies (CAMS) provide lenses to examine (mis)representation of animals, broadening journalism’s publics and expanding the spectrum of misrepresented groups, from humans to nonhuman animals, within news coverage.

Rossi, M. (2025). Reframing the public: An examination on the (mis)representation of nonhuman publics within news coverage. Journalism Studies, 26(12), 1476–1494. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2025.2536765

This study analyzes the emotions attributed to bulls in the context of bullfighting and how they contribute to justifying violence in bullfighting, among participants from Mexico and Spain, two countries with a rich historical and cultural heritage related to bullfighting. In the first study, 1,176 participants were presented with two images as stimuli: one depicting a wounded bull and another showing a neutral, non-wounded bull. Participants were asked to rate the extent to which they believed bulls experience primary and secondary emotions, ranging from basic feelings like sadness and anger to more complex emotions such as guilt and resentment. A repeated measures ANOVA revealed that individuals who dislike bullfighting attributed the same number of secondary emotions to both the wounded and non-wounded bulls. In contrast, those who enjoy bullfighting attributed significantly more secondary emotions to the wounded bull than to the non-wounded one. A second study analyzed all adjectives used to describe bulls in bullfighting chronicles to test the hypothesis that the justification of violence could stem from the perception of the bull as a magnificent creature with the will to participate in the bullfight beyond a mere survival motivation. The analysis shows that these chronicles emphasize the bulls’ size and danger, depicting them as courageous adversaries rather than simple instinctive defenders. Commonly used adjectives such as “fierce” and “imposing” suggest that bulls are intentionally portrayed as presenting a significant challenge, thereby enhancing the spectacle of the fight beyond mere survival. Overall, these findings challenge the assumption that emotional infrahumanization serves to justify bullfighting by diminishing the perceived suffering of bulls, indicating a more complex emotional landscape in participants’ perceptions of bulls within the context of bullfights.

Cruz-Torres, C. E., Martín del Campo-Ríos, J., Fernández-Ballbé, Ó., & Díaz-Rivera, P. E. (2025). The paradox of bullfighting: Emotions and (infra)humanization in bullfighting enjoyment. Anthrozoös, 38(4), 615–635. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2025.2509381

Most people aren’t firmly for or against animal freedom — they’re somewhere in the middle. At Animal Think Tank, we call them the ‘persuadables’: people who are unsure, conflicted, or haven’t thought deeply about the issue, but might be open to change…

We wanted to know: Do people who live with animals think differently about animal freedom than those who don’t? And what can that tell us about how to communicate more effectively?

Animal Think Tank. (2025a, July 3). What we learnt from public opinion research with people who have animal companions vs people who don’t. https://animalthinktank.substack.com/p/what-we-learnt-from-public-opinion 

Activism involving higher levels of risk (potential violence, fines, criminal charges) and cost (time, energy, money) is a key focus in social movement research but remains understudied. This is true of the animal rights (AR) movement, which often uses high-risk/cost tactics, and which remains undertheorized and often misunderstood by social movement scholars. Among existing studies of the AR movement, researchers often overlook the potential mobilizing influence of activists’ ties to animals when discussing the mobilizing influence of activists’ social networks. Further, while existing studies on the AR movement (and social movements, in general) often investigate factors leading to activist recruitment, less is known about what promotes sustained mobilization and de-/re-mobilization. To address these gaps in knowledge, this dissertation draws on 800+ surveys and 42 semi-structured interviews with AR activists to investigate factors promoting participation in higher-risk/cost actions — including traffic blocking, open/secret rescues, hunt sabotage, occupations, and investigations (via trespass) of farms, slaughterhouses, and vivisection laboratories. It also investigates AR activist career trajectories, exploring factors leading to initial recruitment, ongoing mobilization, demobilization and remobilization. Chapters 2 and 3 present results from quantitative survey analyses. These chapters collectively spotlight the significant high-risk/cost activism-promoting influence of strong and weak ties to activists that are associated with direct-action organizations, ties to farmed animals, AR movement identification, and committing to the Liberation Pledge (being vegan and publicly refusing to sit at non-vegan/non-vegetarian tables). Chapters 4 and 5 present results from qualitative interview analyses. These chapters collectively show that ongoing mobilization is driven by activists’ ties to animals (farmed, companion, wild), ties to fellow activists, and a balance of positive and negative emotions, with emotion management being key to sustaining involvement. Demobilization can result from insufficient gratification (e.g., feelings of inefficacy, lack of community) or negative precipitating events (e.g., interpersonal conflict). In contrast, remobilization is fostered by continued movement identification, maintained activist ties, and events that reignite interest and present new opportunities for engagement. Finally, findings reveal that moral shock experiences maintain a strong and persistent presence not only during recruitment, but also influence ongoing mobilization and demobilization (contributing to renewed commitment and emotional overload, respectively).

Koop-Monteiro, Y. (2025). Earthling ties and moral cries: Theorizing recruitment into animal rights activism [Doctoral dissertation]. https://open.library.ubc.ca/soa/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0449272

We’re pleased to present the results of our annual community survey — including what you think we’re doing right, what we can do better, and plans for the future.

I was thrilled to step into the role of Research Director at Faunalytics about six months ago. Since then, I’ve enjoyed getting to know my wonderful colleagues and getting to know so many advocates who work hard every day to end animal suffering. Now, six months in, I’m pleased as punch to bring you the results of our 2025 Community Survey. This survey is critical for Faunalytics, where we aim to convey the importance of using data to set strategy and make evidence-based decisions. Each year, we conduct this survey to help us understand how you’re using our resources, which ones are most helpful, and where we have opportunities to grow to better support the movement.

This blog is a key step in our own annual impact-monitoring journey, sharing the findings from our latest Community Survey with you. Below, we explore the quantitative and qualitative results, and give you a sneak preview of how we plan to make use of them this year and beyond.

Faunalytics. (2025, July). Faunalytics’ 2025 community survey results. https://faunalytics.org/faunalytics-2025-community-survey-results/

This month’s Faunalytics Index provides facts and stats about the welfare of slow-growing chickens, mapping factory farms with AI, lion cub tourism outcomes, and more.

orzechowski, k. (2025, July). Faunalytics Index – July 2025. https://faunalytics.org/faunalytics-index-july-2025/

This collection of resources offers valuable insights to inform media strategies for animal advocacy writers, communications managers, journalists, op-ed writers, editors, and more.There are many individuals in the media working to educate the public on the reality of animal exploitation across a variety of industries. In this brief guide, we highlight some studies that we think can help writers and editors craft their message, understand the media and journalism landscape, and appreciate the power of media itself. However, we’d like to make it clear that anyone discussing animal issues in the media needs to be evidence-based at all times — improving your message doesn’t mean sacrificing your credibility.

Ólafsson, B. (2025). Research round-up: A guide on engaging the media for writers and communicators. Faunalytics. Retrieved July 10, 2025, from https://faunalytics.org/research-round-up-a-guide-on-engaging-the-media-for-writers-and-communicators/ 

The climate crisis requires transformational changes to our food systems, which contribute around one third of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Animal rights activists try to draw attention to this issue through direct action campaigns. However, it remains largely unknown how these disruptive protests affect public opinion. We conducted the first in-depth investigation of the short and long-term effects of a disruptive animal rights protest, Animal Rising’s protest at the UK Grand National horse race. We found that immediately after the protest, respondents’ awareness of the action was linked with more negative attitudes towards animals. However, these negative effects dissipated after six months, suggesting that high-profile disruptive protests trigger short-term emotional reactions that fade over time. Cross-sectional comparisons revealed overall positive shifts in attitudes towards animals over the six-month period. We also found that the protest triggered a sharp increase in media and public attention, as well as mobilization for the protest group. This evaluation suggests that an initial emotional backfire effect of disruptive animal rights protest might be a necessary short-term setback in the general direction of a progressive shift to how society thinks about animals.

Ostarek, M., Klein, L., Rogers, C., Ozden, J., & Thomas-Walters, L. (2025). Short and long-term effects of disruptive animal rights protest. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 1110. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05365-y 

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Vickery, T. (2025). Animal political parties. In J. E. Schaffner (Ed.), Elgar concise encyclopedia of animal law (pp. 26–28). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803923673.00014 

How do agricultural policies in the EU need to change to increase the sustainability of livestock production, and what measures could encourage sustainable practices whilst minimising trade-offs? Addressing such questions is crucial to ensure progress towards proclaimed targets whilst moving production levels to planetary boundaries. However, a lack of available evidence on the impacts of recent policies hinders developments in this direction. In this review, we address this knowledge gap, by collating and evaluating recent policy analyses, using three complementary frameworks. The review highlights that recent policy reforms, and especially those of the Common Agricultural Policy, have had a large impact on the sustainability of the livestock sector by contributing to intensification and simplification. This has often resulted in negative impacts (e.g. on greenhouse gas emissions and animal welfare) and while financial support has enabled production, it can also lead to a culture of dependency that limits innovation. At the same time, a lack of regulation and concrete targets, and low levels of stakeholder engagement in policy design have led to delays in the delivery of sustainability objectives. Future policies could take on-board more innovative thinking that addresses the interrelatedness of society, animals, and the environment, to deliver effective targets and support.

Smith, L. (2025). Assessing the impacts of EU agricultural policies on the sustainability of the livestock sector: A review of the recent literature. FAO AGRIS – International System for Agricultural Science and Technology. https://agris.fao.org/search/en/providers/122495/records/67daf4f5677d8be0233ca581

This legal opinion, by Baldon Avocats, analyses the feasibility under the rules of the World Trade Organization for the European Union to apply trade restrictions to ensure imported animal products comply with its domestic animal welfare standards.

This measure would respond to growing public concerns relating to the sale in the EU of animal products derived from cruel practices. In this respect, the EU is planning a complete overhaul of its animal welfare legislation for

 farmed animals in view of the obsolete nature of the current rules. The Commission has further stated its intention to pair these new domestic rules with requirements that imports comply with EU standards.

Eurogroup for Animals. (2025a). Assessment of the feasibility of applying the EU’s animal welfare standards to imported products under WTO law. Retrieved November 5, 2025, from https://www.eurogroupforanimals.org/library/assessment-feasibility-applying-eus-animal-welfare-standards-imported-products-under-wto 

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Rubin, J. (2025). Court animal advocate programs. In J. E. Schaffner (Ed.), Elgar concise encyclopedia of animal law (pp. 113–115). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803923673.00036 

While animal abuse is largely regulated by criminal law overseas, it is not criminalized in China, leading to frequent occurrences and serious consequences. The social harm of animal abuse in China is often underestimated, directly infringing on social order and legal interests, and indirectly infringing on individuals’ personal and property rights. Non-criminal regulations are ineffective, and the forced application of existing criminal codes violates the principle of legality, leading to the perpetration of animal abuse and even more serious crimes. Therefore, China must criminalize animal abuse. Mature overseas legislative experience in preventing animal abuse provides inspiration for China’s criminal law. Specifically, it should establish the criminal status of animal abuse through its violation of social order and legal interests, clarify its elements, and limit its indictment through legislative techniques. It should also classify animal abuse as a minor offense and assign appropriate statutory penalties. This will maintain social stability, promote the development of social civilization, and align with international animal protection values.

Jia, J., & Wu, A. (2025). Criminal regulation of animal cruelty: Foreign practice and Chinese approach. DONG-A LAW REVIEW, 108, 33–72. https://doi.org/10.31839/DALR.2025.08.108.33 

The proposal to grant rights to non-human animals has raised the question of whether such a step undermines human rights. A first approach claims that animal rights strengthen the protection of human interests since they shift the focus to safeguarding the most vulnerable living beings. On the contrary, a second interpretation maintains that animal rights advocacy introduces a criterion—namely sentience—which does not allow any clear distinction between humans and non-human animals. Therefore, the turn to animal rights would inevitably risk jeopardising the principle of equality of all human beings. The analysis of the most prominent recent philosophical defences of animal rights shows that, in some cases, the criticism is unjustified because the philosophical framework still guarantees a specific status to all humans. However, with regard to other theories—in particular those which put sentience at the centre of their plea—there might be, indeed, some reason for concern. After presenting the different interpretations, the review briefly discusses which approach is most suitable for guaranteeing animal rights on the basis of equal consideration for the common condition of being sentient, while at the same time preserving the human community of the equal rights holders.

Dellavalle, S. (2025). Do animal rights undermine human rights? Global Policy, 16(4), 788–793. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.70036 

Animal welfare policy presents complex ethical challenges, requiring the careful balancing of diverse perspectives on issues such as animal housing, transport, and slaughter. As a policy domain shaped by societal pluralism, it demands reasoned debate and informed decision-making. Ethicists contribute to these discussions in different ways, assuming distinct professional roles in public policy-making. Building on Roger Pielke’s The Honest Broker (The honest broker: Making sense of science in policy and politics, Cambridge University Press, 2007), four roles for ethicists are developed: The Pure Philosopher, who develops ethical theory without direct policy engagement; The Ethics Advocate, who aligns with a specific position based on a foundational ethical theory; The Ethics Facilitator, who clarifies ethical disagreements to enable reasoned debate; and The Engaged Philosopher, who reframes discussions to expand policy options. Ethical advising in public policy depends on a democratic public ethos, where debates remain reasonable and open to reflection. This ethos is increasingly threatened by populism, which portrays politics as an antagonistic struggle rather than a deliberative process. In such a polarized context, ethicists face the risk of having their work instrumentalized in divisive narratives, potentially undermining meaningful engagement. The case of ritual slaughter highlights these challenges, demonstrating how ethics advice can become entangled in contentious debates. To uphold democratic pluralism, ethicists must ensure that their contributions to policy-making foster an open, inclusive, and reflective deliberative process.

Brom, F. W. A. (2025). Ethicists in animal welfare policy: Ideal–typical roles for democratic engagement. Journal of Agricultural & Environmental Ethics, 38(3), 17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-025-09953-5

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Tweddell, P. (2025). Farmed animal welfare laws in the EU. In J. E. Schaffner (Ed.), Elgar concise encyclopedia of animal law (pp. 151–154). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803923673.00046 

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K. Reddy, R. (2025). Insect law. In J. E. Schaffner (Ed.), Elgar concise encyclopedia of animal law (pp. 209–211). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803923673.00061

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von Schlichten, C. (2025). General counsel for animal organizations. In J. E. Schaffner (Ed.), Elgar concise encyclopedia of animal law (pp. 161–163). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803923673.00049 

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Ramdas, S. (2025). Overview of Indian animal law. In J. E. Schaffner (Ed.), Elgar concise encyclopedia of animal law (pp. 289–293). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803923673.00083 

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Jaleel, H. (2025). Overview of Pakistani animal law. In J. E. Schaffner (Ed.), Elgar concise encyclopedia of animal law (pp. 307–311). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803923673.00087 

There is a requirement to assess the costs and benefits associated with government policy and of policy changes (HM Treasury Green Book, 2025). However, there is no single accepted or standardized method for valuing the benefits of policy designed to improve the welfare of animals. Moreover, there is no method where the economic valuation estimates are transferrable between policies and policy appraisals. A method has been developed for the assessment of the animal welfare impacts of policy designed to improve the welfare of farm animals using a 0-100 scale. This is combined with a choice experiment stated preference survey which elicited food shoppers’ willingness to pay (wtp) for increases to the welfare scores of six different farm animal types (laying hens, dairy cows, indoor pigs, sheep, broiler chickens and beef cattle). The welfare score provides a common link between the welfare assessment and the economic valuation. A structured elicitation protocol was developed for the assessment of changes to farm animal welfare as a result of a policy change. An expert panel of 13 independent animal scientists provided assessments of welfare for a range of policy scenarios on the 0-100 scale. Zero denotes extreme suffering of animals and 100 denotes the highest achievable welfare possible. Twelve welfare Criteria were scored by the panel including consideration of the mental states of animals and their whole life experience from birth to slaughter, with detailed reasoning behind their scoring. Valuation of the animal welfare impacts in terms of people’s wtp for increments in the 0-100 score was elicited via an online choice experiment survey, from a representative sample of over 3,000 main household food shoppers in the UK. The method was extensively tested using four exploratory surveys, six focus groups and eight in-depth interviews. The survey contained choice questions showing different combinations of animal welfare scores and increases in weekly household food bill. People’s responses to the choice questions were used to estimate their wtp (£s/household/year) for successive one-point increments in the animal welfare score for each farm animal type, using a Hierarchical Bayesian Logit statistical model. The table below provides examples of cumulative wtp values at different points of the welfare scale from the status quo starting points used in the survey. Marginal wtp diminishes as welfare score increases. Full valuation tables are provided in the report.

Bennett, R., Balcombe, K., & Maggs, H. (2025). Provision of a method for the economic valuation of animal welfare benefits suitable for use in policy appraisal. University of Reading. https://doi.org/10.48683/1926.00123483

The upcoming revision of the EU animal welfare legislation is a unique opportunity to apply EU animal welfare standards to imports of animal products. The European Commission confirmed its willingness to take this step in its recently published Vision for Agriculture and Food. More than ever, it is time for the EU to act as a leader in the global transition towards sustainable food systems.

After putting forward the case for the legality of such import requirements under the rules of the World Trade Organization, this report describes, for each key species, the impact that imposing animal welfare import requirements could have on source countries.

Eurogroup for Animals. (2025d). Stop cruel imports: applying EU animal welfare standards to all products placed on the EU market. Retrieved November 5, 2025, from https://www.eurogroupforanimals.org/library/stop-cruel-imports-applying-eu-animal-welfare-standards-all-products-placed-eu-market-0 

Animal welfare legislation reform has commonly been attributed to the need to increase alignment with the community’s expectations, which supposes that the community has the power to drive legislative change. Despite this assertion, there has been minimal research on the content and drivers of these expectations in Australia. Whilst limited sociological research has identified what the public expects of animal welfare law, there have been no studies aimed at understanding why the public have those expectations, especially in relation to punitive expectations. Using online focus groups, this study investigated the influencers of participant opinions around animal welfare law enforcement to provide a greater understanding of the drivers of these supposed community expectations. Using thematic analysis, five drivers were generated: (1) the degree of animal suffering; (2) providing assistance over punishment; (3) the role of media reporting; (4) how to deter offenders; and (5) the intentions of the offender. Our findings indicate that the public instinctively takes highly punitive approaches to sentencing for animal cruelty, but their responses tend to be modified through conscious reasoning when provided with information around the facts and circumstances of particular cases. Such findings could suggest that the public are not as punitive as legislators perceive them to be when it comes to animal welfare law.

Morton, R., Hebart, M. L., Ankeny, R. A., & Whittaker, A. L. (2025). The drivers of community expectations surrounding punishment for animal welfare offences: Findings from online focus group discussions. Anthrozoös. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08927936.2025.2520055 

Why do supermarkets still sell factory-farmed ‘animal products’ while claiming to care about welfare? Why are animal protection laws seldom enforced? And why does industrial farming of animals continue – even as public concern keeps rising?

These are questions of power.

To understand what’s preventing change – and where change might come from – Animal Think Tank carried out a political economy analysis (PEA) of industrial farming of animals in the UK. This article shares highlights of what we found – and how it can help our movement shape smarter strategies for change.

If you’d like access to the full report, let us know in the comments. We’re keen to share full insights and hear your perspective.

Animal Think Tank. (2025b, July 24). Where power lies in industrial farming – and how we can shift it. https://animalthinktank.substack.com/p/where-power-lies-in-industrial-farming?r=57qort 

There is growing interest in veganism among African-descended individuals in the United States and elsewhere, yet there is little research examining the unique experiences of Black vegans. This dissertation uses data gleaned from 56 qualitative interviews with vegans of African descent to address this gap and amplify marginalized voices in the larger vegan community. In chapter two I explore the reasons motivating African-descended individuals to adopt veganism, the mechanisms via which they learn about and are recruited into the lifestyle, and where Black veganism fits within a social movement framework. In chapter three I advance the term intraracial vegan stigma to describe how Black people uniquely experience vegan stigma and discuss three strategies they employ to mitigate such stigma. In chapter four, I examine and discuss how Black vegans contend with the relationship between anti-Blackness and speciesism—a hierarchical ordering of species where those at the top are considered superior to those ranking below them.The findings of this study provide support for several key ideas. First, Black veganism is its own distinct lifestyle movement separate and apart from mainstream veganism. Second, while Black vegans pursue veganism for primarily health reasons, there may be more Black vegans than expected that are vegan for ethical reasons (i.e., to play a role in reducing nonhuman animal exploitation). Third, despite this interest in ethical veganism, on-the-ground Black veganism looks different from theoretical Black veganism, which purports that the intersection of racism and speciesism is a core component of Black vegan praxis. Fourth, knowledge of and experience with animalized dehumanization shapes Black vegans’ perceptions of the treatment of nonhuman animals and the juxtaposition of such treatment with Black oppression. Finally, the degree to which Black vegans either take a dissociative or an associative approach to nonhuman animals and their mistreatment directly relates to how the former understand their own relationship to animality.In addition to providing an overall picture of Black veganism, this study contributes to existing academic research on social stratification by using an intersectional frame that incorporates species (in addition to race, class, gender, etc.) as a dimension of difference. This is important because, as other social theorists note (e.g., Kim 2015; Nibert 2002; Pellow 2016), hierarchical relationships among human beings are often buttressed by society’s acceptance and reification of the human-animal divide.

Moise, G. (2025). Anatomy of Black veganism: How people of African descent become vegan, manage intraracial vegan stigma, and contend with the intersections of anti-blackness and speciesism [Doctoral dissertation]. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1kv862t8

This article aims to understand how vegans promote a society without animal exploitation through food. Based on material from three years of fieldwork with young vegans in Santiago, Chile, this research shows that vegans utilize commensality and social media to present food as a joyful and friendly way to convince others about the viability of following a plant-based diet, avoiding conflict and evading talking about animals’ exploitation. The interviewees mentioned that sharing their dishes with non-vegans is a form of activism. This involves presenting new flavours and preparations and disseminating know-how about vegan cuisine, including information about ingredients and recipes. The sociological literature on lifestyle movements emphasizes that their followers employ consumption to promote changes. This research goes beyond because it argues that food is a pragmatic mechanism for socializing others into performing a political idea in everyday life.

Giacoman, C., & Joustra, C. (2025). The way to someone’s mind is through their stomach: Vegans and culinary activism. Sociology. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385251357529 

Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) are powerful country-level policies that can guide healthy diets from sustainable food systems. They are associated with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 3 (good health and well-being) and SDG 13 (climate action). However, most FBDGs still favour animal-based food consumption despite increasing global adoption of plant-based dietary patterns to meet health and climate targets. Our objectives were to review the extent of African FBDGs and to analyse their inclusivity of plant-based dietary patterns. A state-of-the-art literature review was conducted, including qualitative analysis and quantitative scoring using the Balanced Food Choice Index system. We found that 12 African countries had FBDGs, although these contained less information about plant-based dietary patterns than the global average. The most balanced guidelines were from South Africa, Namibia, Benin, Gabon and Zambia. One-quarter of FBDGs in Africa refer to the sustainability of plant-based foods or dietary patterns. However, there was a significant lack of awareness of some forms of plant-based diets, with only two FBDGs discussing vegetarian diets. Five African dietary guidelines included plant-based alternatives to meat, milk or dairy. Future African FBDGs are encouraged to be inclusive of plant-based dietary choices and balance the various health, economic, environmental and ethical aspects that play a role in people’s food choices.

Wyma, N., Klapp, A.-L., Nhlapo, P., Ubanwa, M., & Niesing, C. (2025). Food-based dietary guidelines in Africa and their inclusivity of plant-based dietary patterns. South African Journal of Science, 121(7/8). https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2025/18967