Eggs

Animals in CAFOs are often packed closely together, which makes the facilities efficient and, for many, ethically dubious. There are also environmental concerns around these industrial farms. But infectious disease experts worry about CAFOs for a different reason: They’re an ideal environment for virus and bacteria mutations that human immune systems have never seen. In other words, they’re a highly likely source for the next pandemic.

Big Idea Ventures is welcoming a second cohort of start-ups to its New Protein Fund accelerator. From cellular agriculture, to bio-fermentation and plant-based innovation, Managing Partner Andrew Ive shares his thoughts on building a more sustainable food system.

If all countries and territories in the world adopted a healthy diet, high in plant-based foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes and low in meat and processed food, global greenhouse gas emissions would fall by nearly a quarter. However, in 36 countries, home to around 2.5 billion people, the adoption of this diet would increase greenhouse gas emissions per capita by more than 10 percent, unless additional climate mitigation measures were put in place.

The reason egg consumption is associated with elevated cancer risk may be the TMAO, considered the “smoking gun” of microbiome-disease interactions.

COVID-19, with all its cascading effects, is expected to cost the global economy upwards of $1 trillion, says the UN’s trade and development agency. The World Bank says it is expected to throw over 60 million additional people into extreme poverty due to these economic shocks - including over 12 million in India, which already houses a fourth of the world’s extreme poor. It’s not so much a wake-up-call as a four-alarm-fire.

The rise of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing is welcome. After decades of climate experts being shut down or ignored for warning humanity of our impact on the planet, finally, it’s cool to care.