The pursuit of sustainable animal protein sources is critical in light of the environmental, social, and economic challenges associated with conventional livestock production. Although meat, including organic production, remains a valuable source of high-quality protein, diversification is essential to sustainably meet future demand. This review summarizes current knowledge on alternative animal protein sources, with a particular focus on insects and cultured meat in Europe. Insects demonstrate high feed conversion efficiency, require minimal land and water resources, and provide essential amino acids, lipids, and micronutrients, while contributing to circular economy models. Cultured meat presents potential advantages for environmental sustainability and animal welfare; however, its large-scale application depends on technological advances, cost reduction, and supportive regulation. Consumer acceptance remains a challenge influenced by cultural heritage, food neophobia, and product presentation. Policy frameworks, including the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy, seek to foster innovation and sustainable food systems. Future perspectives emphasize that conventional and organic meat, insect-based protein, and cultured meat should be regarded as complementary solutions for a balanced and resilient protein supply in Europe.

Marcinkowska-Lesiak, M., Motrenko, M., Niewiadomski, M., Głuszkiewicz, I., Wojtasik-Kalinowska, I., & Poławska, E. (2025). Animal protein sources in Europe: current knowledge and future perspectives—a review. Applied Sciences, 15(21), 11749. https://doi.org/10.3390/app152111749

INTRODUCTION: Transitioning to sustainable food consumption, through nutritious and low carbon diets, is essential to address climate and health challenges. Current trends indicate an increase of plant-based meals in schools. However, these climate-friendly options are not consistently well-received by students and often fail to meet dietary iron requirements, particularly for adolescent girls. This study aims to develop a methodology for creating sustainable school meal recipes that balance absorbable iron, carbon footprint, and taste preferences. METHODS:The methodology involves iterative recipe development, including cooking elaborations and consumer evaluations. A chili con carne recipe was selected as the test dish where various plant-based and meat hybrid alternatives were assessed. Absorbable iron was calculated using the Hallberg and Hulthén algorithm, factoring in inhibitors and enhancers. Consumer evaluations were conducted in two rounds with university staff and students as a methodological validation step, involving sensory assessments and preference tests. RESULTS: The study found substantial differences between total iron content and absorbable iron, with plant-based recipes (Soy1) achieving only 35% of the required absorbable iron for high-need teenage girls despite meeting total iron requirements. Hybrid recipes incorporating both meat and plant-based ingredients showed better iron bioavailability and were more acceptable to consumers. Optimized recipes reduced carbon footprint by 16-84% compared to the original recipe, with hybrid recipes (Beef/Soy and Beef/Lentils) achieving 37-39% reductions while maintaining adequate absorbable iron levels (0.42-0.56 mg per meal vs. 0.44-0.66 mg target range). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that hybrid recipes can effectively balance absorbable iron, carbon footprint and taste preferences to promote sustainable and healthy eating habits among adolescents. Validation with the target adolescent population in school settings is recommended as the essential next step.

Wollmar, M., Post, A., Elf, M., Ingridsdotter, J., Prim, M., & Sjöberg, A. (2025). Balancing trade-offs between nutritional quality, consumer acceptability and climate impact across a spectrum of chili con carne formulations: from plant-based to hybrid. Frontiers in Nutrition, 12, 1716322. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2025.1716322

Objective: This study aimed to develop the Scale of the Tendency Towards the Flexitarian Diet (STFLEX) to measure the leaning towards the flexitarian diet. Methods: The researchers created a 31-draft scale. Two items with lower content validity ratios were excluded from the scale. A 29-item draft was submitted through an online survey for data collection. Healthy adult volunteers attended from different Internet websites in Türkiye. Scale items measuring individuals’ predisposition to follow a flexitarian diet. The items were evaluated with content validity following the Lawshe method. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test construct validity. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was calculated for reliability. Results Based on the validation analyses, no item was excluded from the item whole. Because of the factor analysis, the scale was divided into four subdimensions (economic reasons, macro-environment, environmental sustainability, and meat consumption). The developed STFLEX showed good compliance statistics, as established with the confirmatory factor analysis fit indices (χ2/df = 1.593, CFI = 0.967, TLI = 0.960, NFI = 0.916, RMSEA = 0.053), and high reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.958). Conclusion The STFLEX is a reliable and valid tool for measuring the tendency toward the flexitarian diet, and it can be used in studies.

Gümüş, A. B., Durmaz, S. E., Açik, M., & Öztürk, E. (2025). Development and validation of the Scale of the Tendency Toward the Flexitarian Diet. Revista de Nutrição, 38. https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-9865202538e240120

Habits pose a potentially strong barrier to reducing meat consumption. Drawing on data from a framed field experiment over 14 months, we address the challenge of changing meat consumption habits and examine whether repeated informational and supportive newsletter interventions reduce self-reported meat consumption. While on average we find no evidence for a reduction in meat intake in response to the interventions, individuals with favorable pre-conditions, such as those with a low baseline consumption, moderately decrease their meat consumption. In addition, the interventions were effective in changing meat consumption among female but not male respondents. A back-of-the-envelope calculation indicates that the scope for reducing nutrition-related carbon emissions through newsletters is small.

Eßer, J., Flörchinger, D., Frondel, M., & Sommer, S. (2025). Long-run effects of behavioral interventions: Experimental evidence on meat consumption. Essen: RWI – Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung. https://www.econstor.eu/handle/10419/333894

Meat alternatives are designed to be used as like-for-like replacements for meat; however, meat is a source of key nutrients. Implications for the impact on dietary intakes are unknown. Nutritional information on plant-based meat alternatives (n = 475) and meat products (n = 754) available in the UK was collected. The products were categorized into food type as per the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) and into sub-categories: meat (ME), plant-based (PB) and mycoprotein (MP). The NDNS data were used to calculate the intake of meat products across age groups. PB and MP were then substituted for meat intakes, and energy and nutrient intakes were calculated and compared to UK Dietary Reference Values. Price, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugar, protein, fibre, and energy were different between ME, MP and PB products (P <  0.001), leading to changes in nutrient intakes. There was considerable variation between product categories, highlighting the impact of like-for-like replacements on nutrient intakes.

Gouela, M., Stergiadis, S., & Clegg, M. E. (2025). The nutritional composition and impact on UK dietary intakes of meat and plant-based meat alternatives. Npj Science of Food, 9(1), 217. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-025-00577-7 

Aprillian, R., & Leucci, F. (2025). Animal welfare claims in Indonesia: comparative study of EU standards and proposed regulatory framework. Tropical Animal Science Journal, 48(6), 564–571. https://doi.org/10.5398/tasj.2025.48.6.564 

Public interest in improving farm animal welfare has increased in recent years, but research on implementation of on-farm enhanced welfare practices lags behind. This review examines the incentives and barriers to adoption of animal welfare-improving farming practices from the perspective of key stakeholders: farmers and other animal product producers. We perform a machine-learning aided scoping review of the academic literature studying how different rearing practices influence economic outcomes for producers, providing direct evidence on the (dis-)incentives of adopting the practices studied. This allows us to (1) identify existing consensus and (2) highlight research gaps on the economic factors related to adoption of (or lack of) welfare-improved practices. Operating costs emerge as a near-universal disincentive for welfare-improving practices. Conversely, improved indoor environment shows potential benefits for animal health and productivity, suggesting the possibility of interventions that have only negligible impacts on overall profits. These takeaways are drawn from a relatively sparse literature, underscoring important research gaps. Addressing these gaps can inform evidence-based policies that align practice with public expectations for farm animal welfare while being cognizant of producer constraints and incentives.

Woolley, T., Pailler, S., McFadden, J., Raff, Z., Raszap Skorbiansky, S., & Kuruc, K. (2025). A scoping review of (dis-)incentives for animal welfare-improving farming practices. Food Policy, 137, 102977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.102977 

This chapter provides an overview of the current animal welfare standards and auditing programs for the broiler industry in the U.S. during the live production phase. The authors, S. Weimer and J. Cherry from the University of Arkansas, detail the various voluntary and industry-led certification schemes—such as those from the National Chicken Council (NCC)—that establish guidelines for housing, stocking density, litter management, and bird handling. The chapter discusses the shift toward using scientifically-validated, animal-based measures in audits to ensure that the physical and behavioral needs of the birds are met, while also addressing the role of third-party verification in meeting consumer demands for transparency and ethical food production.

Weimer, S., & Cherry, J. (2026). Broiler chicken welfare standards in the United States – live production. In A. Garcia, A. K. Johnson, & A. J. M. Aguiriano (Eds.), National and international animal welfare auditing standards (pp. 100–139). Brill | Wageningen Academic. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004750593_7

The study of dairy cattle cognition has gained increasing attention over the past several decades, offering insights into the relationship between cognition and animal welfare. The objectives of this narrative review are to summarize a selection of studies exploring different cognitive processes in dairy cattle, discuss how these processes relate to common management practices and animal welfare, and identify knowledge gaps to guide future research. We begin with a brief overview of research into how dairy cattle perceive and sense the world around them, followed by a description of different types of learning and memory studied in dairy cattle, including nonassociative and associative learning, as well as short- and long-term memory. We then discuss how researchers have explored cognitive processes in dairy cows to understand their social lives, their ability to cope with challenges, and how they feel under different management conditions. Continued research into dairy cattle cognition is encouraged, including both foundational studies asking questions about the cognitive abilities of dairy cattle, as well as applied questions that can lead to improvements to their housing and management. We end by offering several avenues of future research into the cognition of dairy cattle, including a better understanding of competence and resilience, factors that influence cognition such as sleep and individual differences, as well as other under-investigated topics, such as problem-solving and metacognition.

Proudfoot, K. L., Ede, T., Ryan, C. L., & Neave, H. W. (2025). Cognition of dairy cattle: Implications for animal welfare and dairy science. JDS Communications, 6, S37–S41. https://doi.org/10.3168/jdsc.2025-0860

This chapter provides an in-depth analysis of the animal welfare standards and auditing programs currently governing the U.S. dairy industry. It explores the shift from basic health-based metrics to more comprehensive welfare assessments that include behavioral indicators and emotional states. The authors examine the primary industry-led initiatives—most notably the National Dairy FARM Program (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management)—and detail how these frameworks utilize third-party auditing to ensure compliance across a diverse range of production systems. By discussing the integration of scientific research with practical management, the chapter highlights how standardized welfare protocols help producers meet increasing consumer expectations for transparency and humane animal care in dairy production.

Walker, J. B., & Smith, V. I. (2026). Dairy cattle animal welfare standards in the United States. In A. Garcia, A. K. Johnson, & A. J. M. Aguiriano (Eds.), National and international animal welfare auditing standards (pp. 83–99). Brill | Wageningen Academic. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004750593_6

This chapter outlines the collaborative development of a national animal welfare protocol for broiler chickens and laying hens. It details a multi-stakeholder approach involving government bodies like the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA), industry representatives from the National Federation of Poultry Farmers (FENAVI), and scientific experts. The authors discuss the unique challenges and characteristics of the Colombian poultry sector—the nation’s primary animal protein source—and describe the creation of an assessment methodology that integrates resource-based, management-based, and animal-based measures. Ultimately, the chapter presents a model for implementing science-based welfare standards in emerging markets to improve industry competitiveness, transparency, and animal health.

Machado-Reyes, L. F., Estévez-Moreno, L. X., & Miranda-de La Lama, G. C. (2026). Design, validation, and implementation of animal welfare standards and assessments in an emerging market country: the case of poultry farming in Colombia. In A. Garcia, A. K. Johnson, & A. J. M. Aguiriano (Eds.), National and international animal welfare auditing standards (pp. 264–285). Brill | Wageningen Academic. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004750593_14

Implementing animal welfare principles is essential for minimizing animal suffering and improving meat quality. Verifying the appropriateness of the slaughtering process is the halal slaughterer’s responsibility. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of slaughterhouse personnel and halal slaughterers (JULEHA) in Malang Raya, East Java, Indonesia. A cross-sectional study used thirty-six closed-ended structural questionnaires, comprising six demographic questions and 10 questions for each knowledge-attitude-practice variables, with 50 respondents. Demographic data was analyzed descriptively, the correlation among demographic variables was analyzed using Spearman’s test, and the correlation between KAP was analyzed using Pearson’s test and path analysis. Study results showed the overall scores were high, knowledge (4.56, out of 5), attitude (4.13, out of 5), and practice (4.43, out of 5). Significant relationship between Certification and Occupation (ρ=0.32, p=0.026), Training and Occupation (ρ=-0.40, p=0.004), Training and Certification (ρ=-0.72, p<0.001), Attitude and Age (ρ=-0.45, p=0.001), Knowledge and Age (ρ=-0.33, p=0.018). A positive direct association of knowledge toward practice (β=0.68, p<0.001), attitude toward practice (β=0.23, p<0.016), and between knowledge and attitude (β=0.50, p<0.001). Regular training and continuing education are important to ensure animal welfare and produce safe, healthy, intact, and halal meat.

Herawati, & Setianingrum, A. (2025). Evaluating animal welfare awareness and practices among halal slaughterers and slaughterhouse personnel in malang raya, Indonesia. Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan IPA, 11(11), 596–607. https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v11i11.12611 

This study aimed to find the optimal transportation time for broilers under Indian conditions, as transport duration significantly impacts their well-being and meat quality. An experiment involved 120 marketable birds, each marked with four distinct colors for identifying treatment groups. Respective treatment groups were: no transport (0 h – T1), short duration (2 h – T2), medium (4 h – T3) and longer duration (8 h – T4). The parameters studied were percent change in body weight, stress parameters, and meat quality attributes of the transported birds. Transport stress significantly impacted body weights, particularly in the 8-hour group, showing an 8.17% reduction and an average financial loss of Rupees 165. Results shown that stress indicators like Heterophil-to-Lymphocyte ratio and serum corticosterone values were significantly (P <  0.001) higher in T4 (8 h). Significantly (P <  0.001) greater ultimate pH estimates were identified in T4 groups, whereas drip loss, and Warner-Bratzler shear force not exhibited significant differences, but estimates were gradually raised with increase in transport time. The findings indicate that transporting broiler chickens for more than four hours under Indian conditions significantly affects their production performance and meat quality, primarily due to the severe stress induced by prolonged transit.

Mohan, S., Madheshwaran, M., Kumar, A., Mariappan, G., Biswas, A. K., Rokade, J. J., Nagesh, S., Tiwari, A. K., & Singh, Y. (2025). Evaluating the impact of pre-slaughter transport stress on broiler welfare and meat quality in India. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 39725. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-23436-7

The welfare of fast-growing broiler chickens ( Gallus gallus domesticus ) raised in intensive farming systems is of global concern for the public, animal advocates and animal welfare scientists. This study investigated the animal husbandry factors which affect broiler chicken welfare on farms in West Java, Indonesia. Foot-pad dermatitis (FPD) and hock burn (HB) were used as welfare indicators with data collected from 14 farms across West Java. Welfare Quality® data were collected from 150 chickens from six locations on each farm, a total of 2,104 chickens, alongside data on the husbandry management and micro-climate inside the chicken house. Cumulative Link Mixed Models (CLMM) were employed using the ordinal package in R to analyse environmental predictors of welfare indicators. Litter quality and breed of chicken were predictors of FPD, whereas litter quality, bodyweight, light intensity, humidity, wind and CO 2 predicted HB. There was wide variation in the FPD scores between farms. Sampling locations at the door end of the chicken houses showed consistently worse litter scores, welfare outcomes, and higher variation in micro-climate compared to areas near the negative pressure fans. Chickens were usually sent for slaughter at 32 days, which resulted in better welfare outcomes compared to other countries reported in the literature, where chickens are usually slaughtered at an older age and heavier bodyweight. This research could form the basis for better welfare standards on broiler chicken farms in Indonesia.

Wilcox, C. H., Anang, A., Asmara, I. Y., Mayasari, N., Siahaan, M. N., & Sandilands, V. (2025). Factors affecting animal welfare on commercial broiler chicken farms in West Java, Indonesia. Animal Welfare, 34. https://doi.org/10.1017/awf.2025.10052

This chapter describes the rapidly changing human-animal relationship and its implications. The impact of the long-lasting focus on just the productivity and efficiency of livestock production on the animals in human custody is contrasted with the modern expectations of society on how to keep and treat animals decently. Simultaneously, the difficulties of implementing well-known possibilities for improving the quality of life of our food animals are explained. Ways for solutions for both the transformation of the existing intensive livestock production into sustainably intensive and animal-friendly husbandry systems, and for optimizing the often-suboptimal care for the animals are discussed. It is argued that most animal welfare activists focus only on providing the animals with animal-friendly housing conditions but underestimate the impact of the quality of animal care and disease prevention. The chapter also highlights the adverse effects of animal disease on livestock productivity, human health (zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance), and the environment.

Blaha, T. (2026). Improving animal welfare and animal health. In B. Grabkowsky & T. Blaha (Eds.), Intensive livestock production in transition: analyses, concepts and strategies for sustainability transformation of the livestock value chain (pp. 185–198). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-97872-2_8

What I did: The Welfare Footprint Framework enables researchers to estimate Cumulative Pain: the time population members spend in varying severity levels of pain due to a certain welfare threat. I assessed the extent to which estimates vary depending on who is conducting the evaluation. Three animal welfare scientists replicated four Cumulative Pain estimates for farmed chickens originally completed by the Welfare Footprint Institute. What I found: Welfare Footprint Institute estimates consistently erred on the conservative side. Other methodological decisions may play a greater role in whether their estimates give conventional conditions the benefit of the doubt. Overlap in average time in pain was fairly low, suggesting that raters’ raw estimates were overprecise (i.e., their estimates of duration and prevalence were too narrow). That said, modest overlap did not always imply strong disagreement in absolute terms. Raters were in closer agreement about severity attributions for acute (and presumably more severe threats) than they were about chronic issues.

McAuliffe, W. (2025). Interrater reliability of the Cumulative Pain Framework: Welfare threats in egg and chicken production. Rethink Priorities. https://rethinkpriorities.org/research-area/cumulative-pain-framework/

This paper explores the relationship between animal welfare and economic outcomes in agriculture, focusing on whether improvements in animal welfare translate into better farm performance. Specifically, it examines a composite animal welfare index integrating multiple animal-based indicators and its association with milk revenue among Finnish dairy farms over the period 2010–2017. Utilizing multiple econometric approaches, including cross-sectional and panel data regressions, the study reveals a complex and heterogeneous relationship. While a negative association between poorer welfare and milk revenue is evident in cross-sectional estimations, this relationship weakens and generally loses statistical significance once farm-specific fixed effects are included, indicating that much of the association reflects structural or management differences rather than a direct causal effect. The findings underscore the importance of distinguishing correlation from causation when designing and interpreting animal welfare-related policies. Beyond policy relevance, the paper contributes to the limited empirical evidence on causal linkages between animal welfare and farm economic performance.

Ait Sidhoum, A., & Niemi, J. K. (2025). Is there any causal effect between animal welfare and farm economic performance? Evidence from Finnish dairy farms. Q Open, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/qopen/qoaf032

This chapter provides an overview of animal welfare certification programs and auditing standards within the United States egg industry. Grounded in scientific frameworks like the Five Domains model, the authors evaluate the primary voluntary programs—including American Humane Certified, Global Animal Partnership, Certified Humane, Food Alliance, and United Egg Producers—detailing their missions, audit structures, and specific criteria for housing and husbandry. By comparing various certification tiers (from conventional cages to pasture-based systems), the chapter examines how third-party auditing and legislative shifts are driving improvements in hen well-being while navigating the challenges of objectivity, economic feasibility, and scientific harmonization in commercial production.

Hernandez, E., Teleki, K., Weimer, S., Cherry, J., & Garcia, A. (2026). Layer welfare standards in the United States. In A. Garcia, A. K. Johnson, & A. J. M. Aguiriano (Eds.), National and international animal welfare auditing standards (pp. 140–168). Brill | Wageningen Academic. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004750593_8

The current article describes select nutritional metabolic disorders that can impact the health and well-being of beef and dairy cattle. These include: Subclinical or clinical acidosis that can lead to rumen, hind gut, or systemic acidosis. Acidosis can disrupt epithelial barrier function in the rumen and hindgut, enabling bacteria to enter the portal vein and form liver abscesses. If rumen acidosis is severe, rumen contractions can be inhibited, or objects may block the esophagus, leading to free-gas bloat. Frothy bloat can occur in cattle fed high grain or legume diets, where froth in the cardia region prevents eructation and the rumen expands to the point that the lungs cannot inflate. Reduced blood Ca levels as a result of milk fever can also impair rumen contractions and is often mistakenly identified as bloat. Reductions in intake as a result of acidosis can lead to an energetic deficit in dairy cows, with heightened metabolism of fatty acids leading to ketosis. Water quality can also impact animal health and welfare, where elevated levels of sulfate in the water can induce polioencephalomalacia as a result of the production of H2S or thiaminases leading to thiamine deficiency. These conditions can occur currently or precipitate a number of other metabolic disorders including lameness, dystocia, uterine prolapse, retained placentas, metritis, abomasal displacement, and mastitis. Ensuring that the nutrient requirements of the host are satisfied and that diets are fed appropriately in an optimally processed form, with high quality water being readily available, are key to avoiding most of the nutritionally linked health and welfare issues in feedlot and dairy cattle.

McAllister, T., & Engle, T. (2025). Nutritional challenges related to animal welfare in feedlot and dairy cattle. The Veterinary Clinics of North America. Food Animal Practice, 41(3), 333–343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvfa.2025.06.002 

This chapter reviews the history, current implementation, and future direction of on-farm animal welfare assessments and audits within the United States swine industry. It traces the evolution of industry-led initiatives from the initial Swine Welfare Assurance Program (SWAP℠) to the integrated Pork Quality Assurance® Plus (PQA Plus®) program and the development of the Common Swine Industry Audit (CSIA). The authors highlight that welfare improvements in the U.S. have been largely driven by market and consumer pressures—such as transparency and corporate social responsibility—rather than federal legislation. By detailing the scope of PAACO-certified audits and the shift toward objective, animal-based measures, the chapter emphasizes the industry’s commitment to continuous improvement, supply chain accountability, and the harmonization of standards to reduce the administrative burden on producers.

Pairis-Garcia, M., Baysinger, A., Gemus Benjamin, M., Eggers, J., Jass, C., Johnson, A., Kaster, C., Marchant-Forde, J., Siegford, J., Webb, S., & Yake-Strickland, M. (2026). Pig welfare standards in the United States. In A. Garcia, A. K. Johnson, & A. J. M. Aguiriano (Eds.), National and international animal welfare auditing standards (pp. 169–190). Brill | Wageningen Academic. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004750593_9

This chapter examines the evolving landscape of poultry welfare in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. It highlights the growing global importance of the region’s poultry industry, led primarily by Brazil and Mexico, while addressing the socioeconomic and cultural drivers influencing production and consumption trends. The author details the transition from traditional backyard systems to intensive indoor farming, discusses the prevalence of various housing systems like conventional cages, and analyzes the progressive development of national legal frameworks and welfare manuals driven by social pressure and international trade requirements.

Hernández, E. (2026). Poultry welfare standards in Latin America: background, development and legislation. In A. Garcia, A. K. Johnson, & A. J. M. Aguiriano (Eds.), National and international animal welfare auditing standards (pp. 250–263). Brill | Wageningen Academic. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004750593_13

This narrative review explores the benefits and societal importance of improving pig welfare in slaughterhouses. While investments in welfare-friendly practices are often viewed as costly, evidence suggests that these improvements yield benefits beyond direct financial returns (such as enhanced meat quality) including worker well-being and public trust. It has not been possible to put exact numbers on the direct economic benefits of good animal welfare as it is very dependent on the individual slaughterhouse and their business. A central theme of this review is how to ensure welfare-friendly stunning methods, and how to improve animal handling and welfare outcomes in slaughterhouses by the use of animal-based indicators and real-time monitoring technologies. This narrative review has shown that further research into the working environment, alternative stunning methods and AI-assisted monitoring of animal-based parameters will be essential for advancing welfare standards while maintaining industry competitiveness.<br><br>Copyright © 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Schrøder-Petersen, D. L., Støier, S., & Hansen, C. (2025). The benefits and societal importance of pig welfare in slaughterhouses a narrative review. Meat Science, 233, 110004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2025.110004

The amount of attention paid to the welfare of animals and their maintenance conditions has grown considerably in recent years. This paper examines the effects of extensive and intensive housing systems on the environmental, behavioural, health, nutritional and social aspects of sheep welfare. It presents the current state of knowledge regarding this welfare, and its significant contributing factors, based on a search of PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scopus using defined keywords. It compares the impact of the two systems on the physical, psychological and social comfort of the animals, and identifies husbandry practices conducive to improving welfare. In doing so, it pays particular attention to the role of social bonding and the importance of grooming interventions. The paper reviews the factors shaping welfare in different production systems, with a particular focus on extensive and intensive rearing. It demonstrates that while the extensive system is conducive to the realisation of natural behaviour and the formation of social bonds, it can also be associated with a higher risk of nutritional deficiencies and environmental stressors. In contrast, an intensive system allows better control of health and nutrition, but often limits the ability to meet behavioural needs. The study also discusses the importance of feeding strategies, herd structure and thermal comfort, as well as the impact of routines such as shearing and hoof correction. It demonstrates that high levels of welfare can be achieved in both extensive and intensive systems, provided that husbandry practices are appropriately adapted to the needs of sheep as a species.

Bąkowska, M., Pilarczyk, R., Juszczak-Czasnojć, M., Seremak, B., Tomza-Marciniak, A., Kwita, E., Felska-Błaszczyk, L., & Pilarczyk, B. (2025). The effect of environment and husbandry practices on sheep welfare. Animals : An Open Access Journal from MDPI, 15(22). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15223314

Fifty years ago, the US livestock industry associations were mainly concerned about reducing economic losses from bruises and deaths during handling and transport. Today it is essential to prevent cruelty, pain, and suffering, but it is also important for a farm animal to have a positive emotional experience. In the past, the ability of animals to feel fear was questioned and today, research clearly shows that animals have emotions. Another change is that animal activists groups altered their emphasis from reforming the livestock industry to advocating against eating meat.

Grandin, T. (2025). The Evolution of Cattle Welfare over the Past Few Decades. The Veterinary Clinics of North America. Food Animal Practice, 41(3), 471–479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvfa.2025.07.008

Consciousness is a state of subjective experience or awareness, e.g. of an emotion, the self or external objects. In humans, this awareness is underpinned by a suite of cognitive functions, from attention to metacognition. To understand the evolution of consciousness, the study of these cognitive functions across a variety of animal taxa is critical. Insects are useful organisms because we have a sophisticated understanding of their cognition from over a century of study and modern tools are revealing the intricacies of insect brains with increasing clarity. Here we cover the rich history of this venerable field as well as more recent discoveries relating to consciousness in insects, specifically focusing on the following areas: emotions, the distinction of self and other, prediction, attention and active sleep. There can still be no formal certainty about consciousness in insects; even in humans, there is currently no agreement over the particular combination of cognition and neural function that produces consciousness. Nonetheless, evidence from all the lines of investigation summarized here builds up to an increasing probability that insects might possess some form of subjective experience. We encourage further investigation of insects to explore the building blocks of consciousness and its evolutionary antecedents.This article is part of the theme issue “Evolutionary functions of consciousness”.

Chittka, L., Skeels, S., Dyakova, O., & Janbon, M. (2025). The exploration of consciousness in insects. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 380(1939), rstb20240302. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2024.0302

Because cephalopods are so different from the vertebrate lineage, their possible consciousness must be assessed on the basis of their heritage and abilities. Cephalopods have evolved in water, a denser medium than air, and their perception is adapted to it. They have inherited the molluscan mantle cavity and hydrostatic muscle type, which has led to a more distributed motor control system despite a centralized brain, and have evolved a completely novel skin display system. Using these abilities, octopuses can form concepts, plan for the future, generate a cognitive map, and self-monitor for apparent pain and manipulate communication. Most cephalopods use the skin display system fairly automatically to deceive potential predators, although cuttlefish and squid also communicate with conspecifics. They do not appear to have the social sophistication to form a Theory of Mind when using it, but some squid can divorce the skin output from its motivational background sufficiently to produce two separately motivated displays in different directions at the same time. Thus, the cephalopods do appear to be moving towards consciousness, but on their own terms rather than our vertebrate terms.

Mather, J. (2025). Consciousness of octopuses—on their own terms. Animal Sentience, 10(37). https://doi.org/10.51291/2377-7478.1885

Examining consensus among fish farmers, scientists, and regulatory authorities is critical for the development and implementation of effective animal welfare assessment schemes. Aquaculture researchers provide scientific data on fish needs, and evidence-based welfare indicators that accurately reflect fish physical and affective state. Fish farmers take care and bring empirical insights into what is feasible in day-to-day routine operations, while the competent authorities play a key role in official controls and in aligning welfare schemes with legal standards and policy objectives. To ensure that these diverse perspectives are meaningfully integrated, structured participatory approaches are needed to build shared understanding and agreement. This study employs a modified Delphi method bringing together various relevant stakeholders to identify and evaluate Operational Welfare Indicators (OWIs) for on-growing European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, in net-pen sea cages. Through iterative questionnaires and discussion via an online tool, the SmartDelphi platform (INNEX LABS, Barcelona, Spain), experts prioritised water quality, behaviour, and health metrics as key OWIs. They also highlighted major welfare challenges and proposed improvements for an objective, reliable and effective on-farm welfare monitoring. The findings offer a social approach for prioritising welfare indicators, incorporating them into farm management and welfare assessment schemes for European sea bass and suggest directions for further research across species and rearing systems.

Mitropoulou, A., Mougiakou, E., Koumparelou, A., Samaras, A., Seriatos, A., & Pavlidis, M. (2026). Developing operational welfare indicators for European Sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax): Delphi-informed reflections on advancing farmed fish welfare. Aquaculture, 614, 743474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.743474

Anaesthesia is a necessary step during fish manipulation. Tricaine methane-sulfonate (MS-222) is the most commonly used anaesthetic in experimental trials; however, its use in food fish production is strictly regulated. This study aimed to evaluate clove oil, less persistent and authorized in European countries, as an alternative to MS-222 for skin mucus analyses in aquaculture settings. For this purpose, rainbow trout individuals from a commercial factory were sedated with clove oil or MS-222. The concentration of protein, glucose, lactate, and cortisol and the antibacterial activity were measured in both skin mucus and plasma. Additionally, FRAP, total protease activity, and lysozyme activity were also analysed for mucus samples. Recovery times differed significantly between treatments, being approximately four times longer for clove oil (at the farm’s standard dose) than for MS-222 (at the standard laboratory dose). However, none of the stress-related biomarkers in mucus were affected by the anaesthetic treatment, whereas plasma from clove oil-treated fish showed increased lactate and reduced cortisol levels. The in vitro bacterial growth inhibition assay using mucus and plasma provides a reliable and rapid method for assessing fish innate immunity. No significant differences were observed between treatments against any of the bacterial strains tested. Overall, the findings strongly endorse the use of skin mucus as an effective method for studying and monitoring trout in aquaculture settings.

Tejero, M., Fernandez-Alacid, L., Sanahuja, I., Vallejo-Castaño, A., Balsalobre, C., Madrid, C., & Ibarz, A. (2025). Evaluating anaesthetic impacts on rainbow trout mucus biomarkers: towards sustainable aquatic animal welfare. Fish Physiology and Biochemistry, 51(6), 195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-025-01602-y

Stunning technique greatly influences the intensity of stress response, which eventually impact the fish welfare and meat quality. This review synthesizes published data (from Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus) to evaluate six mainstream stunning methods, including mechanical stunning, asphyxia, hypothermia, electrical stunning, chemical anesthesia, and gas stunning, and their impacts on fish welfare and meat quality. Highlighted findings show that stress-inducing methods (e.g., asphyxia, hypothermia, CO₂/N₂ narcosis) induce behavioral, neurological, and physiological distress, while impairing meat quality via altered pH values, rigor mortis, water-holding capacity (WHC), texture, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), color, and sensory attributes. Mechanistically, stress activates anaerobic glycolysis, causing lactic acid accumulation, muscle acidification, protein denaturation, and subsequent meat quality degradation. In contrast, stress-less methods (e.g., mechanical and electrical stunning) effectively enhance both fish welfare and meat quality. This review provides critical insights for advancing stunning technology, addressing ethical concerns, and improving meat quality in the fish industry.

Yan, Y., Wang, Z.-C., & Fang, Z. (2025). Effects of stunning methods on fish welfare and meat quality: A review. Journal of Future Foods. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfutfo.2025.08.016

The Mapping Salmon Welfare series comprises short reports based on time-boxed reviews of academic and gray literature. We spent around one week reviewing evidence on each topic, and another one to two weeks writing up and editing findings. The reports are intended to provide factual information about key welfare issues salmon may face on farms rather than definitive, comprehensive analyses. This first report in the series is a short, factual report that describes the broad patterns of the global salmon farming industry, including: The number of salmon farmed, A brief description of how salmon are farmed, Top producing countries, their certification coverage and key characteristics, Top consuming countries and trade flows

Overarching industry traits and trends. This report is intended to be informative and does not provide recommendations for different stakeholders.

McKay, H., & Shah, S. (2025b). Mapping salmon welfare: a global overview. Rethink Priorities. https://rethinkpriorities.org/research-area/mapping-salmon-welfare-1/ 

This second report in the series is a factual overview of the landscape of sea lice treatments in the salmon farming industry. This report does: Explain briefly what sea lice are, Describe the different ways that producers manage sea lice, Explore the incentive structures that may cause producers to choose different methods, Describe the welfare consequences of the different management approaches, Briefly overview the policies that certifiers and governments use to mitigate welfare costs of sea lice management.

McKay, H., & Shah, S. (2025c). Mapping salmon welfare: sea lice treatments. Rethink Priorities. https://rethinkpriorities.org/research-area/mapping-salmon-welfare-2/ 

Refining approaches to measuring, monitoring and appraising animal welfare in aquaculture research is key to (i) protecting and optimizing it, (ii) documenting the severity of how and when it deviates, and (iii) ensuring good scientific quality, reliable results and reproducibility, amongst other factors. However, different fish species and life stages can have varying welfare needs and assessing their welfare can be challenging. An array of welfare indicators (WIs) can be utilized when documenting fish welfare, and there is currently little consensus on which WIs are most applicable to the key fish species used in European aquaculture research. The aim of this review is to propose updated, fit for purpose and comprehensive WI toolboxes for aquaculture research involving Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ), rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ), European seabass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ), gilthead seabream ( Sparus aurata ), and the common carp ( Cyprinus carpio ). Where possible, these toolboxes will also include life‐stage considerations. It also provides information on utilizing WIs in deciding humane end‐points as well as information on how to sample different types of indicators. The review closes with information on how digitalization can affect the collection, collation and analysis of WI data in aquaculture research, including both practical and theoretical considerations. The toolboxes incorporate a range of WIs that go beyond those required for legally safeguarding fish welfare in both laboratory and operational experimental facilities in the current European 2010/63/EU Directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes and its amendment, the Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2024/1262.

Noble, C., Abbink, W., Alvestad, R., Ardó, L., Bégout, M., Bloecher, N., Burgerhout, E., Calduch‐Giner, J., Chivite‐Alcalde, M., Císař, P., Durland, E., Espmark, Å. M., Falconer, L., Føre, M., Georgopoulou, D. G., Heia, K., Helberg, G. A. N., Izquierdo Gomez, D., Johansen, L., … Østbye, T. K. (2026). Welfare indicators for aquaculture research: toolboxes for five farmed European fish species. Reviews in Aquaculture, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/raq.70109 

In this viewpoint, we highlight two issues that we believe deserve more emphasize in the ongoing discussions on fish welfare. On the basis of the naturally or artificially selected proximate behavioural mechanism, an animal today may attempt to reach goals that are not necessarily equal to the functions that yielded higher fitness in the past process of evolution. These attempts lead to proximate ‘needs’ of animals. Accordingly, we can increase fish welfare by asking what goals fish are trying to reach (‘wanting’) and which results will satisfy their resulting needs (‘liking’). This can be done independently of the hard question about their subjective experiences. Because answering such questions of wanting and liking relies on highly experimental procedures, we should additionally think about approaches to assess fish welfare in practice in a way that goes beyond health aspects, too. Recently developed techniques open exciting avenues to tap into judgement biases of populations that may indicate welfare and may be applicable in large‐scale fish production systems. Being aware of these two issues hopefully helps to temper the conflict between the two current extreme poles of either negating or assuming a high level of fish sentience in the discussion of fish welfare.

Gygax, L., Gansel, L. C., & Hillmann, E. (2025). What fish ‘want’ and ‘like’: yet another perspective on fish welfare. Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries, 5(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/aff2.70147

Extensive livestock systems in the Alps are central to biodiversity, rural livelihoods, and cultural heritage, but are increasingly threatened by climate change. This review examines how rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, reduced snow cover, and extreme weather events impact animal welfare in mountain farming systems. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of scientific literature addressing direct impacts such as heat stress, water scarcity, disease prevalence, and welfare-related indicators, as well as indirect effects on pasture quality, biodiversity, and socio-ecological systems. The review is based on a structured narrative search (2005–2025) across major databases (Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar), using predefined keywords (e.g., climate change, welfare, Alps, ruminants, etc.) and inclusion criteria to screen ~350 studies, of which ~115 were retained and thematically synthesized. Results show that cattle are highly vulnerable to heat stress and forage decline, while sheep and goats exhibit greater resilience. However, all species are affected by reduced forage quality and increased disease risks. Climate-driven shifts in pasture composition threaten both the nutritional value and ecosystem diversity, with feedback loops that link animal welfare and biodiversity. Adaptive capacities differ across species, with goats showing the highest tolerance to resource scarcity. Potential adaptation strategies include breed selection, sustainable grazing practices, and policy frameworks that support smallholders and ecosystem services. We conclude that safeguarding animal welfare under climate change is crucial for maintaining livestock productivity, ecological sustainability, and the socio-economic resilience of Alpine communities. This review provides a foundation for developing integrated adaptation strategies that align welfare, biodiversity, and policy objectives.

Cornale, P., Senatore, R., Battaglini, L. M., & Baratta, M. (2025). Climate change and livestock welfare in The Alps: A comprehensive review. Animals, 15(24), 3578. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15243578 

In recent years, animal welfare has become a high priority in livestock production systems owing to the pressure to balance environmental sustainability, productivity, and ethics as demand continues to grow. This review presents the latest advances in small ruminant welfare, with emphasis on the effects of climate change, the main new innovative managerial and husbandry methods, and the use of precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies. In the first part, this review will examine how climate change is already re-shaping environmental and physiological conditions for farmed sheep and goats, with rising heat stress and negative impacts on both productive and reproductive performance. Secondly, more recent advances in small ruminant management will be presented, including improved housing systems, nutritional strategies, and behavioral monitoring, aimed at enhancing animal resilience and performance. Finally, particular focus will be given to the use of PLF tools for assessing milk quality and monitoring animal welfare. Evidence suggests that real-time monitoring technologies and sensor systems can accurately capture physiological and production parameters and provide an early sign of stress or health issues. Overall, the findings suggest that an integrated approach, combining climate adaptation strategies, welfare management, and the integration of precision technologies can serve as a key driver toward more ethical, sustainable, and resilient livestock production systems.

Ciliberti, M. G., Albenzio, M., & Sevi, A. (2025). From sensors to sustainability: integrating welfare, management, and climate resilience in small ruminant farm systems. Animals : An Open Access Journal from MDPI, 15(22). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15223240

Issues relating to animal agriculture, such as industrial meat production and dietary changes, are deeply underrepresented in media coverage of climate change, despite the sector accounting for nearly one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. To better understand how climate journalism covers these issues, the Center for Biological Diversity and Brighter Green analyzed more than 10,000 articles published in 37 different U.S. media ranging from national to local news outlets over a three-year period from July 2022 through June 2025. We also performed an analysis of the text of more than 8,000 unique articles to determine not only how frequently these issues were covered, but also whether the nature of the coverage addressed the sector’s role in the climate crisis. Key findings: Meat or animal agriculture appear in just 343 out of 10,696 articles (3%) about climate change over the past three years. Even fewer—just 1%—of articles mentioned dietary changes. To accurately reflect the proportion of its responsibility for the greenhouse gas emissions fueling the climate crisis, news media representation of animal agriculture in media coverage would have to increase sixfold. Climate change coverage declined overall between 2022 and 2025.

Tey, A. (2025). Missing Ingredients: How Agriculture and Diet Get Overlooked in Media Coverage of Climate Change. Center for Biological Diversity Brighter Green. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/pdfs/2025-media-landscape-analysis.pdf

Meat production through agriculture is a significant contributor to climate change yet it is a staple food and a major source of protein in many diets around the world. As such a protein arms race has begun to develop sustainable protein sources with plant-based, insect and lab grown alternatives emerging as top contenders. Cultivated meat, animal cells grown in vitro for consumption as food, is an emerging technology that is often seen as a more sustainable alternative to traditional meat production by virtue of the fact it avoids many of the heavily polluting agricultural processes such as enteric fermentation and fertiliser use. The first life cycle assessments (LCA) of cultivated meat shone a favourable light on the environmental impacts of cultivated meat. However, as the technology develops and more representative LCAs are conducted the environmental impact potentials are greater than originally reported due to a greater understanding of the technology. This paper examines existing LCAs of cultivated meat and identifies data gaps and potential improvements within the cultivated meat production system.  This work highlights that there are still many data gaps that exist around the environmental impacts of cultivated meat. Specifically, modelling of growth factor production at suitable scale for a cultivated meat industry, the impact of cell line production and storage, production of scaffold materials, and downstream processes after removal from bioreactors are required to accurately assess the impacts of cultivated meat production. As such there needs to be further collaboration between LCA practitioners and cultivated meat producers to fully realise any environmental benefits or burdens that cultivated meat may have at commercial scale.

McDonald, L. J., McManus, M., & Newnes, L. (2025). Is cultivated meat sustainable? – Research pathways to cleaner “clean meat.” Cleaner Food Systems, 2, 100007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clfs.2025.100007

BACKGROUND: Consumer food choices are changing towards a more plant-based diet (PBD) due to growing awareness of their less detrimental effects on health and the environment. However, PBDs-particularly vegan diets-may lead to nutritional deficiencies compared to non-PBDs. These differences may, in part, be influenced by the typically lower caloric content of PBDs. OBJECTIVE: To compare the nutritional adequacy and environmental footprints of four 7-day menu models (~ 2,000 kcal/day) Mediterranean (omnivorous) diet, two vegetarian-like diets, and one vegan. METHODS:  Menus were designed based on the recommendations of the Spanish Society for Community Nutrition (SENC) and Vegetarian Union (UVE), substituting animal-based foods with plant-based alternatives. Nutritional intake was assessed using the Spanish BEDCA food composition table (Base de Datos Española de Composición de Alimentos) and adequacy was evaluated using Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) and recommended intake levels. Daily environmental footprints were estimated with Agribalyse. Differences between the four diet models were evaluated by one-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis tests, followed by post-hoc analyses to identify pairwise differences in nutrient intake (significance level: 95%). RESULTS: Daily macronutrient intake did not differ substantially across the diet groups. Furthermore, all four menus met protein needs and most micronutrient DRIs. Shortfalls were observed for vitamin D and iodine across all diets, and for vitamin B₁₂ in the vegan model; ω-3 PUFA were below the 250 mg/day target in all diets, while saturated fat remained <  8% of total energy intake. Mean daily environmental footprints decreased progressively from omnivorous to vegan diets: -46% CO₂, -6.6% deprived water and -33% land use among others. CONCLUSION: Well-planned PBDs can achieve comparable sustainability and nutritional adequacy to a healthy Mediterranean diet, although attention is required to ensure adequate intake of certain micronutrients. 

Alcalá-Santiago, Á., Rodríguez-Martín, N. M., Casas-Albertos, E., Gálvez-Navas, J. M., Castelló-Pastor, A., García-Villanova, B., & Molina-Montes, E. (2025). Nutrient adequacy and environmental foot-print of Mediterranean, pesco-, ovo-lacto-, and vegan menus: a modelling study. Frontiers in Nutrition, 12, 1681512. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2025.1681512

Cellular agriculture is emerging as a new approach to the production of food ingredients, offering an alternative to conventional agricultural practices. This Comment highlights critical sustainability considerations and examines the energy efficiency of biotechnologically produced cellular crops.

Ghasemlou, M., Dokouhaki, M., Chandrapala, J., Farahnaky, A., Barrow, C. J., Zhang, M., McClements, D. J., & Adhikari, B. (2025). Sustainability and energy consumption of farm-free cellular agriculture. Nature Reviews Bioengineering, 3(12), 994–995. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-025-00385-4

Meat alternatives have gained popularity. However, there is ongoing debate over labeling requirements for these products. This systematic review collected and summarized recent research on how meat alternative name labeling affects consumer responses. The results indicate that meat-related labels significantly impact consumer responses. Using “meat” on cell-cultured meat labels increases confusion, while replacing it with “protein” may reduce confusion. Plant-based meat labels using meat-related terms generally cause little confusion and have minimal effects on purchasing decisions but may slightly increase willingness to eat. Meat-related labels can also enhance taste expectations, while avoiding them tends to improve perceptions related to environmental impact and health benefits. The results also suggest that, from a policy perspective, avoiding meat-related terms and using more specific labels may reduce consumer confusion and enhance ingredient clarity. In the industry, labels that communicate naturalness may improve consumer acceptance. Future research should address consumer perceptions of safety, environmental impact, and animal welfare, as well as their understanding of nutritional information. Moreover, assessing the real-world impacts of labeling regulations is essential for gaining more insights into consumer behavior.

Ji, J.-H., & Lee, S. H. (2025). A systematic review of consumer responses to meat alternative labeling. Appetite, 218, 108375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2025.108375

Food choices are not made within a vacuum but depend upon earlier decisions, resulting in spillover effects where subsequent choices are either similar (consistency) or contrasting (balancing). Little is known about spillovers in vegetarian (versus non-vegetarian) choices and how Vegetarian Eating Motives (VEM) or contextual factors influence these patterns. This study explored these dynamics through two online experiments. The first experiment (N = 251) utilized a within-subject design in a sequential three-course meal ordering scenario. The second experiment (N = 439) employed an improved mixed design by varying contextual factors (labeling and availability). Both experiments did not observe spillovers between vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices in neutral contexts. We found evidence of spillover when labeling vegetarian dishes as ‘Healthy & Sustainable’. This generated more consistency among individuals with strong VEM but increased balancing among those with weaker VEM (OR = 2.29, 95 % CI = (1.25, 4.19)), without altering overall vegetarian choice rates. Enlarging the availability of vegetarian options at the first choice increased in-the-moment vegetarian selection, yet we find no evidence of balancing at later choices. In sum, we only detect spillovers when vegetarian options were labeled as ‘Healthy & Sustainable’, with the direction of the spillover depending on an individual’s VEM. These findings support availability interventions as an effective strategy for increasing in-the-moment vegetarian selection, while highlighting the need for caution with labeling approaches, since this did not increase vegetarian selection but might generate unintended spillover effects.

de Lint, L., de Vries, R., van Rookhuijzen, M., op ‘t Landt, S., & de Vet, E. (2025). Beyond the first choice: How (nudged) vegetarian food choices spill over to subsequent food choices. Appetite, 108394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2025.108394

Population diets need to become healthier and more sustainable to limit their negative effects on health and environment. This study assessed the effect of a positioning intervention, in isolation and in combination with a labelling intervention, on the a) healthiness and b) environmental sustainability of food choices in an experimental online supermarket. Participants (n=2220) were randomly assigned to one of five trials groups (control; healthier items shown earlier (“health position”); health position & nutri-score labels; environmentally sustainable products shown earlier (“eco position”); eco position & ecolabels) and completed a shopping task in an experimental online supermarket. Linear regressions showed that compared to control, mean scaled nutri-scores of shopping baskets were significantly lower (healthier) for health position (-2.30; 95%CI: -3.07, -1.52) and health position & labels (-2.50; 95%CI: -3.28, -1.72), with no significant difference between health position and health position & labels (-0.20; 95%CI: -0.66, 0.25). The mean eco scores of shopping baskets were significantly reduced (more sustainable) for eco position (-24%; 95%CIs: -15%, -31%)) and eco position & labels (-30%; 95% CIs: -22%, 37%).) compared to control. The eco position & labels group had significantly lower mean eco scores (-8%; 95% CIs: -2%, -14%) compared to eco position. The positioning intervention improved health and environmental sustainability of food selections in an experimental online supermarket, with less robust evidence for a small additional effect of adding labels. There was no suggestion that adding labels that potentially make the positioning intervention more salient had any backfire effects.

Jostock, C., O’Hagan, A., & Pechey, R. (2025). Combining positioning and labelling interventions for healthier and more environmentally sustainable products: A randomised controlled trial in an online experimental supermarket. Appetite, 108378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2025.108378

Excessive meat production and consumption have significant negative consequences, such as adverse health conditions for individuals and the exacerbation of climate change for society. The present research proposes and tests a behavioral “nudging” prediction about meatless consumption within restaurants. One economically practical, yet understudied, means to nudge individuals towards more meatless options is making target options more salient via a specials menu. Specifically, we investigate the relationship between the percentage of meatless items offered on a restaurant’s specials menu and the likelihood that an item ordered was meatless. Importantly, the present research does this in an ecologically valid context: an operating restaurant in rural Pennsylvania, USA. Results indicate that for main dishes, the percentage of meatless specials offered predicted the likelihood of an individual purchasing a meatless food item. Specifically, if a menu has five total main dish specials, one of which is meatless, changing the menu to two meatless main dishes (and thus increasing the total percentage points of meatless main dishes from 20% to 40%) would increase the likelihood that a single main dish ordered was meatless by about 3.38%. Similar results, however, were not obtained for side dishes. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.

Edwards, D. M., Ondish, P., & Neff, R. (2026). Increasing meatless options to decrease meat consumption – a quantitative analysis of the relationship between the percentage of meatless items offered on a specials menu and meatless purchases. Food Quality and Preference, 137, 105763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105763

Meat consumption contributes significantly to environmental degradation and public health

burdens. Yet, altering dietary behavior remains a challenge, particularly due to cognitive and cultural

resistance. This study investigates whether linguistic nudges, specifically, labeling food options without

meat using health-oriented language versus a language that underlines the vegetarian identity alone, can

influence consumer food preferences. A survey-based experiment was conducted to compare

preferences for sandwiches labeled as “The Vegetarian Choice” versus “The Healthy Choice”,

incorporating demographic, attitudinal, and behavioral variables. Results from a Wilcoxon signed-rank

show no statistically significant difference in preference between the two labels. However, patterns

suggest growing openness to vegetarian options and minimal evidence of social stigma toward

vegetarianism among the respondents, all of whom were Italian. These findings point to cultural shifts

in dietary norms and suggest that health-related labels alone may not be sufficiently persuasive to alter

food preferences. The results provide new insights into consumer behavior and the nuanced role of

framing in sustainable consumption strategies.

Tagliapietra, G., Mancinelli, S., & Mazzanti, M. (2025). The Power of Words: Investigating Linguistic Nudges to Reduce Meat Consumption. SEEDS Sustainability, Environmental Economics and Dynamic Studies,. https://www.sustainability-seeds.org/papers/RePec/srt/wpaper/1125.pdf 

The role of sustainability labels in politics and business is a subject of controversial debate. Based on experiences from Germany, this chapter outlines the challenges and limitations of verified labels trying to overcome confidence problems in markets. Without significantly stronger regulatory interventions, the impact of these labels remains limited due to the overwhelming number of labels and the resulting consumer confusion, which contributes to the consumer-citizen gap. Key elements of a future-oriented labelling policy include: a limited number of preferably mandatory national labels for the main sustainability attributes; multi-level labels with a colour-coded interpretative design following the model of the Nutri-Score; scientifically validated assessment algorithms based on defined indicators; and intensive communicative support to promote awareness. However, even with improved labelling policies, the effect on consumer behaviour should not be overestimated. Sustainability labels are an important tool for creating transparency for consumers, but they are not a “silver bullet”.

Spiller, A. (2026). The role of sustainable food labels in transforming the food system. In B. Grabkowsky & T. Blaha (Eds.), Intensive livestock production in transition: analyses, concepts and strategies for sustainability transformation of the livestock value chain (pp. 419–428). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-97872-2_24

Background  Sustainability labels (SLs) are increasingly promoted to guide consumer behavior towards more sustainable consumption choices. As a result, research on SLs has increased with numerous studies and reviews highlighting how specific sustainability claims are valued by consumers.  Scope and approach  This study presents a comprehensive meta-analysis of willingness to pay (WTP) for SLs displayed on food products, including a wide range of studies focusing on diverse food categories. To conduct the meta-analysis on SLs, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was used.  Key findings and conclusion  The analysis reveals that consumers, on average, are willing to pay a 29% price premium for products bearing SLs. This mean value masks significant heterogeneity in relation to label and product categories as well as consumer socioeconomic factors. Notably, carbon labels were associated with lower percentage premium WTP, while geographic and animal welfare labels drove higher premiums. From a product perspective, higher percentage premium WTP is observed for SL when used in meat, dairy, alcohol, coffee, and cereals when compared to vegetables. Moreover, consumers in higher-education segments tend to exhibit lower relative WTP, potentially reflecting greater skepticism toward label claims. Percentage WTP premium also decreases with higher product prices, indicating price sensitivity. Studies published after 2017 tend to report higher percentage WTP premium values, possibly linked to increased awareness of sustainability issues. The results empower policymakers, marketers, and stakeholders seeking to design more effective sustainability communication strategies, emphasizing the importance of label type, context, and consumer segmentation.

Andreani, G., Tur-Cardona, J., Antonioli, F., Barreiro-Hurle, J., Sogari, G., & Menozzi, D. (2025). To label or not to label? A Meta-Regression Analysis of Consumer Willingness to Pay for Sustainability Claims. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 105435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2025.105435

Here, zoocentric ethical frameworks will be discussed and their value for One Health will be analyzed. Ethical frameworks concerning animals have originated mostly from two fields, animal ethics, and the science of animal health and welfare. One could differ between two kinds of views on animals. One is on species similarities where those proponents focus on similarities between humans and other species. The other is on species differences, where proponents argue that one must consider species-specificness to avoid lumping all animals in the same bowl and acknowledging specific traits that might be as important as human traits. As an example of one of the first philosophers following this view, I briefly present Bernard Rollin, which gained influence in the scientific discussions of animal welfare. For One Health approaches, the latter position is more accurate and won’t hinder ascribing moral status to different species. This chapter’s in-depth analysis will be on Martha Nussbaum’s Capability Approach and David Fraser’s Four principles of animal ethics, which both have been proposed as fruitful within the One Health approaches.

Lerner, H. (2025). Animal ethics, veterinarian ethics and humans. In Ethics for one health approaches: A roadmap for future directions (Vol. 22, pp. 89–112). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-05239-1_5

Despite Germany’s progressive constitutional and statutory commitments to animal protection, the effective enforcement of animal welfare norms remains limited by persistent structural deficits. This Article examines the legal and institutional barriers impeding judicial enforcement, with particular attention to restrictive standing doctrines—most notably the protective norm theory—and systemic disincentives within administrative practice. Drawing on comparative insights from environmental law, including association standing and rights of nature frameworks, the Article explores procedural innovations and institutional reforms that may enhance access to justice in the field of animal protection. It further assesses the potential of strategic litigation to expose systemic failures. Strategic litigation may prompt legal and political change, particularly where normative commitments remain unmet. The Article concludes by outlining reform pathways and situating the German experience within broader debates on access to justice and the evolving role of courts in advancing the legal protection of nonhuman interests.

Kerstensteiner, N. (2025). Bridging the gap: reflections on Germany’s legal structure and practice in animal law. German Law Journal, 26(6), 1025–1053. https://doi.org/10.1017/glj.2025.10165 

The European Union (EU) has made commitments to review all established policies on farm animal welfare, and by the end of 2023 to propose new regulations that will improve farming conditions and phase out the use of cage-based systems. A case study of pig farming in Hungary suggests that in the present status quo, farmers are highly constrained in their ability to make such significant changes to their farming operations; hence, a purely legislative reform on welfare may not deliver the desired changes. Competing socio-economic interests and constraints created by global trade regulations require that reformers extend their efforts from the limited approach of policy review to addressing issues that are well beyond the control of farmers. These include complex economic, legislative, and technology-related concerns. To ensure a truly effective transition, reforms need to address those factors that push production towards the use of large-scale, intensive confinement systems.

Molnár, M. (2026). Economic and political competitive constraints to improving animal welfare. In B. Grabkowsky & T. Blaha (Eds.), Intensive livestock production in transition: analyses, concepts and strategies for sustainability transformation of the livestock value chain (pp. 199–217). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-97872-2_9 

Mata, F., Baptista, N., Jesus, M., & Santos, J. (2025). Fur farming: EU citizens’ stance. Journal of King Abdulaziz University-Science, 7(4), 177. https://doi.org/10.3390/sci7040177 

Despite its economic profitability, fur farming in Europe, responsible for half of global production, faces a growing ethical backlash. Animal welfare concerns, particularly regarding mink, foxes, and raccoon dogs kept in restrictive cages, have intensified due to advocacy, scientific reviews, and COVID-19 outbreaks. In response, several EU nations have implemented bans or stricter regulations. However, limited research exists on EU public opinion. This study analyses data from Eurobarometer 533 (March 2023), surveying 26,368 citizens across 27 EU countries, to assess attitudes toward fur farming. Respondents selected from three policy preferences: a full ban, EU-wide regulation, or acceptance of current practices. Multinomial logistic regression and chi-square tests revealed significant socio-demographic and ideological influences. Older individuals were more supportive of current practices (p = 0.001), while higher education levels correlated with support for a ban or stricter regulation (p = 0.003). Income positively influenced support for regulation (p = 0.002), and women (p = 0.008), urban residents (p = 0.001), and those with regular animal contact (p = 0.007) were more likely to support reform. Right-leaning respondents (p = 0.012) and residents of countries without fur farming bans (p < 0.001) were less supportive. These findings suggest that values, demographics, and national legislation significantly shape public opinion. Aligning policy with evolving societal values requires integrated legislative reform, public engagement, and equitable transition strategies to ensure meaningful and sustainable improvements in animal welfare across the EU.

The aim of this article is to study theoretical interactions and practical implementation of three approaches, past and present, to assess their future potential in securing animal rights proper (i.e., fundamental rights, hereinafter “rights”) protection. On this basis, recommendations can be made regarding how and when to employ each approach, and to what degree and in what combinations. In the first substantive section, starting from the premise that abolitionism should be the ultimate end of animal rights protection, we examine interactions between these three approaches to determine whether instrumentalism and welfarism promote or hinder abolitionism, and to what extent they influence it at all. In other words, are the dichotomies between these approaches real or overstated? This section studies their objectives, priorities, and implications for their positioning relative to one another. The second section considers these approaches in practice. First, it traces their historical evolution in the context of animals. Then, it examines present-day implementation in legislation and jurisprudence. In the third section, we briefly outline further considerations that might inform strategic use of these approaches. The fourth and final part, including concluding remarks, seeks to answer how we should proceed with animal rights protection efforts from societal, political, and legal perspectives.

Shanker, A., & Martinico, G. (2025). Legal approaches to animal protection: do instrumentalism and welfarism help or hinder abolitionism? Liverpool Law Review, 46(3), 327–356. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10991-025-09392-2 

Traditional boundaries between policy areas are being challenged as farm animal welfare raises controversies. In this article we use data from the consultation process for a new white paper from the Norwegian government, and the theoretical lenses of Narrative Policy Framework (NPF), to describe and analyse the discursive landscape of farm animal welfare in Norway. The article demonstrates how actor coalitions at the intersection of a traditionally exceptionalist agricultural policy and an emerging animal welfare policy narrate the animal welfare discourse differently. These narrative differences also reflect various positions on the issue of change or status quo in the field of farm animal welfare. We identify three narratives: one exceptionalist status‐quo narrative presented by mainstream agricultural sector actors, especially the meat industry; one shallow post‐exceptionalist reformative narrative, presented by a variety of stakeholders, including agricultural cooperatives as well as research and education institutions; and one radical post‐exceptionalist transformative narrative, presented by mainly animal rights organisations. From mainstream actors in the first two narratives, objectives like maintaining food production levels and economic sustainability are seen as more fundamental and sometimes in conflict with introducing new animal welfare measures.

Vik, J., & Hårstad, R. M. B. (2026). Narratives in the farm animal welfare policy process. Scandinavian Political Studies, 49(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9477.70029

Faunalytics surveyed approximately 1,000 U.S. adults on their perceptions of standard animal agriculture practices. The findings provide U.S. legal advocates with empirical data to support arguments that certain industry norms are not “commonly accepted” by the public and should therefore not be exempt from U.S. anti-cruelty laws.

Polanco, A., & Troy, A. (2025). Public Acceptability Of Standard U.S. Animal Agriculture Practices. Faunalytics. https://faunalytics.org/public-acceptability-of-standard-u-s-animal-agriculture-practices/

This study tests a theoretical model explaining reactions to animal abuse in terms of attitudes, norms, and moral obligation, based on research concerning pro-environmental and anti-ecological behavior, as offenses against animals have been considered environmental crimes in legal terms. The sample consisted of 624 people from the general population, aged 18 to 93 (64.1% female), randomly assigned one of three versions of the same scenario of abuse, differing in the category of animal (protected/pet/farm). Participants were requested to complete a questionnaire that included items about the observed variables (descriptive social norm) and latent variables (injunctive social norm, personal norm, moral obligation, attitude toward animals, speciesism, and reaction to animal abuse). The resulting model obtained appropriate fit indices (RMSEA = 0.054; CFI = 0.917) and a high percentage of explained variance of reaction (77%) and confirmed the expectation that moral obligation is the strongest predictor of reactions to animal abuse and activates the personal norm. Personal norm is predicted by attitudes toward animals and the injunctive social norm, which depends on the descriptive social norm. Speciesism was excluded from the model due to its negative covariance with attitudes toward animals and to provide a better-fitting model. The results are discussed in terms of how the human-animal relationship is mediated by the role played in animal categorization, not only by their characteristics, but also by the instrumentality attributed to them socially and culturally.

Ruiz, C., Vera, A., Rosales, C., & Martín, A. M. (2025). What makes us react to the abuse of pets, protected animals, and farm animals: the role of attitudes, norms, and moral obligation. Animals : An Open Access Journal from MDPI, 15(22). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15223339

In farm animal husbandry, communication strategies rely on consumers who are willing to receive information. However, people avoid using information – a behaviour known as information avoidance. Sweeny et al. (2010) identify three main motives for information avoidance: to avoid negative effects on action, affect or cognition. The meat paradox emphasizes cognitive dissonances. The present study employed Howell et al. (2016) information avoidance scale to measure the relationship between the occurrence and impact of the three motives on information avoidance. Based on an exploratory, non-random, small, self-selected, education- and diet-biased convenience sample, the motives showed selected significant and robustness-checked results on the tendency to avoid information. Expected negative emotional effect leads to stronger information avoidance, while expected cognitive contradictions to one’s own beliefs is associated with reduced information avoidance, i.e. affective and cognitive motives have opposite effects on information avoidance. This might imply that dissonance of the meat paradox might have shifted from a cognitive to a more affective level in the analysed sample. Implications suggest to tailor communication strategies to reduce emotional reactivity, for example by avoiding affective imagery. Target groups with higher openness, strong opponents of farm animal husbandry and those expecting to challenge their cognitive convictions are reachable via neutral, fact-based formats. Less open and those with less strong opposition as well as those with strong emotional motives are more difficult to reach due to their stronger information avoidance.

Peitzmeier, M., & Mergenthaler, M. (2025). When not knowing feels better: exploring the role of information avoidance in public acceptance of farm animal husbandry. International Journal on Food System Dynamics, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1163/18696945-bja00025