To help you make safer choices in the kitchen, we turned to Leah Segedie, founder of the consumer advocacy site Mamavation and dubbed The PFAS Hunter by Consumer Reports. Read on to learn which parchment papers are truly PFAS-free—and how to reduce unwanted chemical exposure when baking, cooking, and storing food.

What Is Parchment Paper?

Parchment paper, aka baking paper, is a thin, vegetable-based product that is used in cooking and baking to prevent foods from sticking. The earliest food-grade parchment papers were made by treating paper with sulfuric acid to seal its cellulose pores, making it nonstick, waterproof, and resistant to high temperatures. (The technique is called parchmentizing.)

You can still find this basic, uncoated, sulfurized (and reusable) parchment paper. But nowadays, many parchment paper brands are coated or treated with additional substances to further enhance the paper’s moisture-resistant, grease-proof, and nonstick qualities. These include PFAS, the same synthetic “forever chemicals” that are used in everything from nonstick cookware to electronics. As awareness around the risks of PFAS exposure grows, more and more parchment paper brands are clearly labeled as both “untreated” and “PFAS-free,” making it easier to find safer options to use in the kitchen.

What Are PFAS?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemical substances used in food packaging (among many other applications) since they were invented in the 1940s. PFAS do not break down easily. They infiltrate our food and water systems and can accumulate in our bodies, potentially causing long-term health issues. A 2024 CDC report estimates that nearly all people in the United States have measurable levels of PFAS in their blood.

Are PFAS Toxic?

PFAS have been linked to long-term health risks, including kidney and testicular cancers, hormone disruption, liver and thyroid issues, and reproductive harm, according to the National Resources Defense Council. The Environmental Working Group states that PFAS are “highly toxic.”

PFAS Testing

The sheer number of PFAS makes testing for them a difficult task. “There have been over 15,000 PFAS chemicals released into the environment, but we only have the testing capability to identify fewer than 1% of them,” Segedie says. To determine if products contain PFAS, she and her team use organic fluorine testing, a test process used by many states and certification organizations. “Organic fluorine testing is a good indicator test because all PFAS contain organic fluorine,” Segedie says.

Because PFAS are so ubiquitous, trace amounts make their way into products without manufacturers intentionally adding them. Parchment paper and other food-grade paper products that contain fewer than 100 parts per million (ppm) of PFAS are generally considered to have no intentionally added PFAS. In identifying the best parchment paper options, Segedie looks for brands that have no more than 10 ppm of PFAS.

The Best Parchment Paper Options for Avoiding PFAS

Not all parchment papers are treated with PFAS. Here are the best options.

Uncoated Parchment Paper

Segedie’s top recommendation is to opt for uncoated parchment paper. Uncoated parchment paper can also safely be used again and again without leaching toxic substances and remains also one of the safest toxic-free choices for take-along food (like lunchbox sandwiches) and food storage.

One brand we like is Baar Patapar Cooking Parchment Paper

Silicone-Coated Parchment Paper

Another option is silicone-coated parchment paper, which is treated with silicone, a food-grade synthetic polymer that is waterproof, greaseproof, and nonstick, as well. “Our tests found that silicone-coated parchment paper has non-detect results for organic fluorine at 10 ppm (parts per million), so you are unlikely to find PFAS in silicone-based parchment,” says Segedie.

Brands to try:

• If You Care Parchment Baking Paper and Baking Sheets
• King Arthur Natural Half-Sheet Baking Parchment Paper
• Katbite Parchment Paper Sheets

Certified Compostable Parchment

Another way to find parchment paper that is relatively low in PFAS is to look for a “certified compostable” label. Compostable certification organizations usually allow only up to 100 ppm total organic fluorine in paper products.

Can You Reuse Parchment Paper?

Parchment paper manufacturers often highlight the fact that their baking paper is reusable multiple times. While it’s safe to reuse uncoated parchment paper, such as Baar, Segedie advises against reusing coated parchment. “Because reused parchment paper is continuously exposed to heat, and food acids, it will continue to leach out the substances it has been coated with.”

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The plant-based push comes thanks to ambitious sustainability targets that the Paris 2024 organizing committee has set, with the ultimate aim of cutting this year’s Olympics’ carbon emissions by half compared with that of previous years—a goal that the committee says is in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Hosting an event of such a mammoth scale presents “an enormous environmental and social challenge that we must rise to,” says 2024 Paris Olympics President Tony Estanguet. The 2024 event’s “Food Vision” document states that adding more plant-based options is “the most effective way of reducing the carbon footprint of catering.”

The Paris 2024 Olympics’ promotion of plant-based eating is especially noteworthy given that, just earlier this year, the French government attempted to ban the use of “meaty” terms in the marketing of plant-based products. (France’s highest court suspended the ban before it could take effect, citing concerns over legality.)

In addition to serving more locally sourced and plant-forward meals, the 2024 Olympics will use 100% renewable energy from the grid, as opposed to relying on highly polluting diesel generators commonly used at large sporting events.

A number of plant-based athletes will be competing in this year’s Summer Games, including Brazilian footballer Marina Fioravanti and Australiantrack star Morgan Mitchell, who appeared in the Game Changers documentary.

The 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games kick off on July 26 and conclude on August 11.

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

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The study, published last week in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, set out to evaluate the health impacts of the planetary health diet—a climate-friendly diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and minimizes red meat and other foods with a high carbon footprint.

Researchers pooled data from three long-term, large-scale studies that followed roughly 200,000 participants over the course of decades, periodically surveying them about their eating habits and health. They scored each participant’s diet based on environmental impact. All participants were free of major chronic diseases at the outset. After reviewing health outcomes over time, the researchers identified a striking association: The more eco-friendly a participant’s diet was, the less likely they were to die prematurely of any cause. Those whose diets scored in the top 10% in terms of sustainability were 30% less likely to die prematurely than those who scored in the bottom 10%.

“For every major cause of death we looked at, there was a lower risk in people with better adherence to the planetary health diet,” says Walter C. Willett, a lead author on the new study and a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “The findings show just how linked human and planetary health are. Eating healthfully boosts environmental sustainability—which in turn is essential for the health and wellbeing of every person on earth.”

What Is the Planetary Health Diet?

In 2019, an international team of 37 scientists released the EAT–Lancet report—a comprehensive assessment, with regards to human health and environmental sustainability, of the way we eat and produce food. The landmark report concluded that our current dietary and food production patterns are incompatible with the long-term survival of our species, and that in order to feed the 10 billion people (the expected population in 2050), a major shift is required away from red meat and toward vegetables, grains, legumes, and nuts. The report put forward a “planetary health diet,” a flexitarian diet that is largely plant-based but can optionally include modest amounts of fish, meat, and dairy foods. If widely adopted, the planetary health diet would reduce greenhouse gases by 50% by 2050, while also reducing rates of chronic disease in humans, according to the EAT–Lancet Commission’s projections.

Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains require significantly less land to produce and generate significantly fewer greenhouse gases than meat. A 2019 review found that the climate-altering carbon emissions from a single gram of protein from beef are at least 7.5 times higher than those associated with a gram of protein from plant sources.

“Shifting how we eat can help slow the process of climate change,” says Willett. “And what’s healthiest for the planet is also healthiest for humans.”

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post Harvard Study: Planet-Friendly Diet Cuts Premature Death Risk by Nearly a Third appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Since its founding in 1947, the Rodale Institute has been a leader in the organic movement. Today, with five regional resource centers nationwide, the nonprofit organization offers farmers intensive training in sustainable agricultural practices. In 2022 alone, Rodale helped transition 321 farmers to organic growing practices, teaching everything from soil science to how to make a profit. “Our mission is to support existing and transitioning organic farmers so that we can expand regenerative farmland across the United States and the world,” says Andrew Smith, Ph.D., the institute’s chief scientific officer. “The future [of farming] really needs to align with human health,” he says. “And I think if you get our farming systems aligned with human health, then planetary health will follow.”

We spoke with Smith about the role of agriculture in climate change, the merits of buying local vs. organic, and the future of sustainable farming.

Editor’s Note: This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

First, would you tell us a bit about how the Rodale Institute got started?

Andrew Smith, Ph.D.: The Rodale Institute [was founded as] a response to the growth of chemical agriculture. Part of why they started was out of concern for human health. If you read their meeting [minutes from] back in the 1930s and 1940s, they were asking the question, “Why does the British population have such poor health?” and they said, “Well one, it’s because of diet, and two, it’s because the way we farm is degrading the land.” And [that has] really come true in the last 70 years. While Rodale Institute and the founder J. I. Rodale coined the term organic, we don’t profess to be the originators of organic agriculture. Indigenous cultures and cultures around the world have been practicing sustainable and natural farming practices [for centuries].

In 2017, Rodale helped to establish the “Regenerative Organic Certification” (ROC) label. What inspired this effort?

AS: We [created the label] so that the word regenerative had some meaning behind it. Today the word sustainable is diluted because it has been overused by corporations. … So, Rodale started a Regenerative Organic Certification with other partners like Dr. Bronner’s and Patagonia to create a [certifiable] standard that not only included environmental or land stewardship ethics, but also animal welfare and social fairness.

Why is organic produce more expensive than conventional? What advice would you give to someone who wants to buy organic but says it’s unaffordable?

AS: For the most part, organic food is underpriced, and conventional food is overpriced. The majority of organic agriculture’s cost comes from increased labor. If you put it in relative terms of people’s salaries, [people are] paying a minuscule percentage… for their food compared to what they used to spend. And that’s one of the reasons farmers struggle to support themselves.

So, how do you afford organic? One goes back to local… Can you find it from a local farm, or from a community-supported agriculture program, where it tends to be cheaper, because you’re buying it right from the farm? Even if they’re not certified organic, most of those farms are growing using organic practices. If you’re limited on what you can purchase … [I recommend] going to the Environmental Working Group page…[where] you can look at what fruits and vegetables have lower levels of pesticide residues and pick and choose. I like to purchase root crops, things like carrots, beets, and potatoes, organically because of the heavy use of neonicotinoid insecticides. And then small grains like oat and wheat, [that] are being sprayed with glyphosate [I also purchase organic].

I’ll also say that I’ve found that if you start to adopt a more plant-based diet, your total food costs drop drastically. And so, there should be more room [in the budget] for organic products.

Rodale has long emphasized the importance of soil health. What makes for healthy soil?

AS: Things like compost and manures, and having living plants on the [soil’s] surface, are the most important components of rejuvenating and maintaining soil health. As organic has expanded, I think we sometimes forget the benefits of compost. [Compost] improves microbial activity, which makes plants more resistant to disease and insects…and helps the plant extract nutrients. Nitrogen-fixing—[a process where certain crops, like legumes] pull nitrogen out of the air and put it back into the soil or give it to the plant—actually results in higher levels of soil carbon sequestration. Our research shows that if you have good management that includes green manures as well as compost, then tillage won’t have detrimental effects on the soil. It’s when we remove these things, and use synthetics, that the soil becomes bare.

A 2019 UN report warned of the looming extinction of one million species. What does agriculture have to do with this?

AS: When I was sitting in college studying agriculture, I clearly saw that anytime you added one good practice, it resulted in multiple benefits. And anytime you added one bad practice, like let’s say spraying insecticides, it resulted in multiple negative consequences. So it’s kind of a cycle. Everywhere we look on organic farms they’re more biodiverse from plant community species [to] insects…[because] organic farmers recognize that…natural habitats provide a real benefit in managing insects and disease on their farm. I think the loss of biodiversity is largely a consequence of our industrial agriculture. We’re deforesting so we can produce soybeans and corn, and it’s a little bit hypocritical for those of us in the United States to say, “You should stop [deforesting]” in the Amazon, or Madagascar or in some other of these sensitive biodiversity hot spots, when we mostly deforested the entire East Coast.

How do you feel about the future of sustainable food systems?

AS: I’m very optimistic. I probably wasn’t optimistic five to 10 years ago, but two things have happened: One, the baby boomers, to some extent, have finally opened their eyes to see that how food is produced has an environmental impact. And Millennials have [become] the major decision-makers for households … and they’re driving corporations to adopt regenerative and organic and sustainable practices. Consumers are asking how their food was produced, and where it was produced. … My only concern is that I see two camps diverging. [One] is aware of their health and is driving improved farming practices [while the other]…is consuming whatever’s available. And I’m concerned that the convenience eaters [make up] a greater number of the population than healthy eaters.

I understand that you recently started following a mostly plant-based diet. What prompted this choice?

AS: First it was for the welfare and treatment of animals. The second reason was for my own health. My father passed away when he was 66, and I’ve recognized, as my mom and her friends are aging, that I’m starting to see not only physical but cognitive decline. So I’ve started thinking more about my health in the future. It’s not just [about eating] plant-based, but whole-food, plant-based … reducing things like sugar and processed foods. The other reason is that I’m professing that we need to change the food system in a positive way for human and environmental health, and I didn’t want to be a hypocrite.

The post Growing for the Future: Rodale Institute’s Vision for Sustainable Agriculture appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

“Close to 80% of flowering plants need a pollinator to reproduce, and about 30% of the food we eat can be traced back to a pollinator,” explains Mace Vaughan, co-director of pollinator and agricultural biodiversity at Xerces, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. “A lot of vegetables that we might not think about as being insect-pollinated, like lettuce or onions or carrots, ultimately need a pollinator somewhere in the production line to help produce the seed that grows the edible veggie.”

Our collective well-being is intricately tied to these critters, but habitat loss, pollution, and climate change threaten to wipe out many essential species. “Even when we’re faced with pollinator declines, there are so many interesting and fun things you can do to bring pollinators right into your yard,” says Vaughan, who offers four easy ideas to make your yard more hospitable to pollinators.

1. Plant pollinator-friendly flowers and trees.

Of course, one of the best ways to make your yard pollinator-friendly is to plant species of plants and trees that offer them plenty of pollen and nectar. Milkweed and sunflowers are a great place to start. Aim for native plants that are designed to thrive in your climate, and choose organic seeds. Learn what plants are native to your region here.

2. Avoid using insecticides in your yard.

Insecticides and their toxic chemicals will undermine any work you do to create a pollinator-friendly garden. Use natural pest-deterrent methods. And whenever you’re purchasing new plants for your yard, be sure to check the labels or ask the nursery staff for help to ensure you’re not buying seeds that have been treated with harmful pesticides.

3. Create nest sites for pollinators.

Use leaves as garden mulch, create small piles of twigs in the yard, or keep a heap of organic matter in a corner of your garden to offer space for critters to nest.

4. Add clover to your lawn.

Sprinkle clover seeds over traditional grass to create a floral feast for pollinators. This simple trick makes your yard insect-friendly without having to do much hands-on gardening, since clover spreads relatively quickly and easily. White and crimson clover varieties are high in nectar, making them a great food source for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

The post Attract Bees, Butterflies, and Other Pollinators to Your Yard with These Expert Tips appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Findings from the report, co-authored by a team of academics and published by Harvard Law School’s Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law & Policy Program, are based on a survey of 210 climate scientists, researchers, and food system specialists from 48 countries. They agree that to meet Paris Agreement targets—including rolling back greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to pre-2019 levels by 2030—an accelerated shift away from animal agriculture and toward low-carbon, plant-based alternatives is imperative, and must be approached on a global scale.

“This transition is crucial, as livestock production contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions,” says William J. Ripple, Ph.D., professor of ecology at Oregon State University and one of the report’s four co-authors. “Since this is a crisis, it only makes sense that any major shift involves all parties in high-income and middle-income countries including individuals, governmental policymakers, and corporations.”

Animal Agriculture and Climate Change

The livestock industry is implicated as a primary contributor to climate change in areas that include feed-crop production, the development of grazing land for cattle—the world’s leading cause of deforestation—and methane emissions produced by the animals themselves. Government agricultural subsidies that favor animal products are partly to blame, making an overhaul of global food-subsidy policies integral to reducing GHG emissions from animal agriculture, according to the report.

Given the volume of animal products consumed in high-income countries including the United States, the potential to drastically cut GHG emissions is vast, if decisive actions are implemented quickly. The report also identifies restructuring targets that include providing technology and resources to low- and middle-income countries, and facilitating transitions from livestock farming into the plant-based sector.

“We need to change the incentives of the producers and the prices that consumers face,” says report co-author Paul Behrens, Ph.D., a professor at Leiden University in the Netherlands specializing in food, climate, and energy systems. “Perhaps even more importantly, it will require a shift in the way big agribusiness operates in the food system, away from the more damaging animal-based foods towards more plant-based foods.”

Plant-Based Diets and Planetary Health

The report suggests that plant-sourced foods, because of their lower carbon footprint, should be prioritized in institutional food purchasing policies, particularly if they lead to better health outcomes than animal-sourced foods. Adopting this “Best Available Food” (BAF) approach—a system for identifying the healthiest foods with the lowest environmental impact—is also cited as a tool that can assist consumers in transitioning away from animal-based diets.

Growing fruits, vegetables, and grains for human consumption—instead of growing crops for animal feed—also makes sense from a global economic perspective, considering 67% of all food calories produced in the U.S. are earmarked as feed for animals. Phasing out feed crops, which comprise 43% of the world’s farmland, has the potential to feed twice as many people worldwide, compared with current livestock farming systems, and would shore up food security infrastructure.

One vital component that can’t be underestimated, says co-author Behrens, is the role of the individual consumer in the success of reaching our collective climate change mitigation objectives. “Consumers are a big part of this transition,” says Behrens. “From research, we know that meat-eaters will eat more plant-based meals if those options are available to them. It should be a story of exploration of new foods, not of abstinence.”

The report is not the first time that climate experts have urged consumers toward more plant-forward diets. In an editorial published last month in the journal Nature Food, an international team of researchers called on the United Nations to recognize the environmental imperative for a global transition away from animal-based foods. In 2019, more than 11,000 scientists signed a paper calling for the reduction of animal products as a critical step that governments and individuals can take to mitigate the worst effects of climate change.

In addition to generating fewer greenhouse gas emissions, plant-based foods require significantly less land and put less strain on the water system than animal-based foods.

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

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Cue Dan Buettner, one of the world’s leading experts on how we can create longer, healthier lives. Nearly 20 years ago Buettner set out with a team from National Geographic to document specific populations around the world that have a higher concentration of centenarians (people who live to 100) than anywhere else. These pockets of good health are called Blue Zones, and Buettner has dedicated his life to understanding—and sharing—the common denominators among these diverse populations that all experience unusually long lives.

With the state of American life expectancy, it seems as if there’s no better time for Netflix to debut its new docuseries that takes an in-depth exploration of the Blue Zones. The four-part series, Secrets of the Blue Zones, which premieres on August 30, follows Buettner from California to Japan as he talks with the people who have uncovered the secret formula for living to 100. In addition to the series, Buettner is releasing a new book, The Blue Zones Secrets for Living Longer, which distills the wisdom of the Blue Zones and serves as a how-to manual to help you create your own mini Blue Zone no matter your ZIP code.

“The book brings up-to-date insights on all the five Blue Zones…and identifies a Blue Zone 2.0, Singapore, which is an intentionally engineered Blue Zone instead of one that just occurs naturally,” Buettner told FOK. “Sixty years ago Singapore was an unhealthy island. It’s now become one of the healthiest, longest-lived places on Earth. They’ve done it because of good policies. It’s a proof of concept that if you create the right environment, people live measurably longer with a fraction of the rate of the diseases that cost us trillions of dollars a year in America.”

The Blue Zone Formula

Upon first learning about Blue Zone populations, it can be easy to write off these niche pockets of good health as the result of a small group of people who’ve won the genetic lottery. Buettner says this is not the case.

“I would argue that 20% of it is genes, 10% of it is personal choices, 10% of it is the health care system, and the remaining 60% is your environment,” says Buettner. “There are areas in Kentucky where life expectancy is 20 years less than Boulder, Colorado. In both cases you have a diverse set of genes and a spectrum of people who take responsibility for their health. The only thing that’s different is that it’s much easier to walk or bike across town in Boulder than it is to drive your car. It’s a food environment where you can get delicious plant-based meals much easier than you can in Kentucky. It’s easier to socialize, it’s easier to get out in nature, and the air is cleaner. These are all environmental factors which we vastly underestimate in the formula for longevity.”

So, what do these centenarian-saturated populations do so differently from the rest of us? Surprisingly, it isn’t anything revolutionary; rather, it’s an accumulation of small daily habits, a supportive living environment, and social policies and attitudes that reinforce every person’s value, dignity, and health. While there are much more detailed insights revealed in the docuseries and the new book, here are four key factors that all Blue Zones share:

WFPB Diet

“Overwhelmingly, they eat a plant-based diet that’s somewhere between 90 to 100% whole-food, plant-based—more or less a Forks Over Knives diet,” says Buettner. Apart from what they eat, Blue Zone inhabitants also have strategies for not overeating throughout the day, and they tend to keep electronics away from the dining table to keep their full attention on sharing meals with loved ones.

Natural Movement

It turns out that our current understanding of exercise—performing concentrated bursts of activity that meet our fitness goals each day—may be completely misguided. “[People in the Blue Zones] don’t exercise, but they live in environments where they’re nudged to move naturally every 20 minutes,” Buettner says. Between their work, household chores, social activities, and walkable towns, movement is a built-in part of their day, instead of an extracurricular activity.

Social Connections

Social isolation has been found to be as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes per day, and the longevity of Blue Zone inhabitants provides further evidence that strong social ties keep you alive for longer. “They put their families first and keep aging parents nearby,” explains Buettner. “They tend to belong to a faith-based community, and they surround themselves with people who reinforce [healthy] behaviors.”

Sense of Purpose

Buettner emphasizes that these long-lived populations “know their purpose and live by it.” As one of the more abstract characteristics of Blue Zones communities, he defines living with purpose as “being clear on your values, knowing what you’re good at, and finding an outlet that provides some good for the rest of the world or helps other people.”

Changes Big and Small

While the lessons gleaned from Blue Zones can be applied on an individual level, their transformative potential lies in the fact that these core tenets can be replicated and customized to reshape the health of entire cities. After discovering these unique age-defying pockets, Buettner founded the Blue Zones organization, which works with cities across the U.S. to enact policies that extend the lifespans of their inhabitants. Over the past two decades, the organization has successfully worked with 72 cities, including Fort Worth, Texas, where obesity rates were lowered, smoking rates dropped by 31%, and more than 58% of residents are now categorized as “thriving.”

Buettner has personally shifted elements of his life to embody the wisdom of the Blue Zones, such as moving to Miami Beach, Florida, so he can swim daily, enjoy a walkable neighborhood, and surround himself with health-focused friends. The goal of his new book and the Netflix series is to inspire you to design a life that gives you more time to do the things you love, with the people you care about most, for as long as possible.

“I hope people who read the book take away 10 extra years of good life,” says Buettner. “The average American leaves more than a decade of life on the table by living the way we’re living. [Blue Zone living] is not a biohack, it’s not an anti-aging gimmick, it’s not any of the other maelstroms designed to make money off of you. These are real people who’ve lived an identifiable way for hundreds of years, and they have a very average set of genes, so there’s no reason we can’t achieve their outcomes if we pay closer attention to our own lives.”

The Secrets of the Blue Zones docuseries is now streaming on Netflix. The companion book, The Blue Zones Secrets for Living Longer, is available online and in bookstores August 29.

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The study, published recently in Nature Food, analyzed the diets of more than 55,000 people in the United Kingdom and integrated data from 38,000 farms across 119 countries to assess how food sourcing and production methods impacted environmental factors. While previous studies linked vegan diets with lower environmental impact, most of the research relied on modeled diets, which might not accurately reflect true eating behaviors.

Apart from drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions, vegan diets used 75% less land, required 54% less water, and had a 65% lower impact on environmental biodiversity than meat-heavy diets, which were defined as eating at least 3.5 oz of meat per day. (For reference, that’s equivalent to about a palm-size serving of chicken.) Improvements in environmental impact were also found between high-meat diets and low-meat diets, with low-meat diets producing only 43% of the dietary carbon dioxide emissions of high-meat diets.

“Encouraging high-meat-eaters to reduce meat consumption and encouraging vegetarians to become vegans should result in lower emissions,” said Richard Tiffin, professor of applied economics and chief science officer for agrimetrics at the University of Reading, in a statement from Science Media Centre.

The researchers also examined the different diets in relation to their 20-Year Global Warming Potential (GWP), which looks at the impact of different gases in the atmosphere and how much heat they retain. High-meat diets created a GWP footprint 5.1 times greater than vegan diets, further emphasizing the heavy impact of animal products on our short-term climate goals.

The researchers note that the current global food system is responsible for 34% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, 70% of the world’s freshwater use, and 78% of the pollution in lakes and rivers. Nearly 75% of the world’s inhabitable land has been affected by agriculture, which squashes biodiversity and interrupts delicate ecosystems. A primary driver of this environmental destruction is the vast amount of land used to raise livestock, including the crops planted to feed livestock. A 2020 study discovered that even the lowest-impact meat product, organic pork, is responsible for eight times more climate damage than the highest-impact plant product, oilseed.

“Our dietary choices have a big impact on the planet,” said Peter Scarborough, professor of population health at Oxford University and the lead researcher on the study. “Cutting down the amount of meat and dairy in your diet can make a big difference to your dietary footprint.”

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Researchers used the psycho-behavioral concept of “defaults” as the primary tool for impacting students’ behavior. According to the study, “defaults are a type of behavioral nudge that make the desired choice the easy choice.” By presenting a person with a predetermined option, it takes the need to make a decision out of the equation, even if there are other options available.

Here’s how it played out: Tulane University, Lehigh University, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute participated in a five-week experiment where a single station in each school’s dining halls was tasked with implementing control or plant-default menus on a random basis throughout the study period. On control days, a plant-based and a meat-based option were displayed side-by-side for students to choose from. On “default” days, only a plant-based meal was displayed, and a small sign was posted informing students they could receive a meat-based dish upon request. By visually hiding meat-based options and setting the plant-based meal as the default option, students were subtly encouraged to choose the plant-based dish.

After analyzing meal station data encompassing more than 15,000 servings, the researchers found that when the plant-default days were consistently implemented, the average take rate of the plant-based dish jumped from 30% to 81%. By simply presenting plant-based dishes as the norm, students were much more likely to choose the vegan dish instead of searching the dining hall for a meat-based option.

The Time Is Right

While eating meat is still a dominant social norm among college students, researchers noted that the current student body is a prime demographic for making the shift toward plant-based meals.

“University-aged Gen Z consumers are the most interested in consuming plant-based foods compared to any other generation—83% versus a combined average of 63% among Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers,” the study reports.

Student satisfaction on plant-default days scored a 5.14 compared with a 4.42 on control days where both options were presented, suggesting that setting a vegan dish as the norm influences students’ happiness with their meal choice. However, the satisfaction level differed between the type of plant-based dish served: Students expressed the greatest interest in dishes with processed plant-based proteins, followed closely by meat-based dishes, and expressed the least satisfaction with whole-food, plant-based meals. The study authors note that this trend is in contrast to other publications, such as the most recent Plant-Forward Opportunity Report, which shows that Gen Z eaters tend to prefer whole-food plant-based dishes over processed.

Researchers found that the visual presentation of plant-based dishes and the use of appetizing placard descriptions were also important factors in student enjoyment. Additionally, female students had a greater overall interest in incorporating healthier options into their diet and were more likely to be satisfied with a plant-based dish than male students.

Good for Students, Good for the Planet

College is often a time of deep foundational learning and habit formation, which means students’ dietary choices during those years could impact their food preferences—and subsequently, their health—for the rest of their lives. The researchers behind this latest study speculate implementing the plant-default menus more consistently over longer periods of time will encourage students to create a habit of eating vegan even in environments, even where meat-based options are more readily available.

Because the plant-based menu was only implemented at one station within each school’s dining hall, the study authors suggest expanding the program throughout all stations to further reduce greenhouse gases and help universities meet their sustainability goals. This style of default-plant-based menus can help other large facilities, such as hospitals, prisons, and office buildings, work toward being carbon neutral and promote greater health among the populations they serve.

Over the past year, many university dining halls have upped their plant-based offerings. In 2022, two food-service giants, Aramark and Sodexo, who provide meals to hundreds of campus dining halls around the country committed to implementing new menus where more than 40% of the meals are plant-based, citing emission-reduction goals. This latest report affirms that offering more plant-based options is an effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while still keeping students happy with their meal choices.

The post New Research: Making Plant-Based Meals the Default in Dining Halls Can Help Meet Climate Goals appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Editor’s note: FOK may collect a small share of sales from some of the links on this page, though it doesn’t influence our product picks.

SWEDISH DISHCLOTHS | $21 FOR 10 AT THE SIMPLY CASA

Say goodbye to synthetic sponges, microfiber cloths and single-use paper towels. These highly absorbent, reusable Swedish dishcloths can stand in for all three. And unlike synthetic sponges and microfiber cloths, this eco-friendly option can be cleaned in a washing machine or the top rack of a dishwasher without leaching microplastics into the water system.

REUSABLE FOOD STORAGE BAGS | $58 FOR 4-BAG STARTER KIT AT STASHER 

No need to give up the convenience of resealable bags: These durable, tight-sealing storage bags are made of food-grade  silicone that can be washed and reused again and again. They also withstand temperatures up to 425°F—which means you can even use them to cook boil-in-the-bag vegetables or steam foods in the microwave. This five-pack lets you try several different bag shapes: a sandwich bag, a snack bag, a stand-up bag, and a and 2-cup bowl.

BAMBOO CUTLERY SET | $10 AT TOTALLY BAMBOO

Perfect to keep in your purse, backpack, or briefcase, this portable set of bamboo cutlery eliminates the need for single-use plastic utensils. Each set comes with a fork, knife, spoon, straw and cleaning brush in a cute hibiscus-print pouch fitted with a carabiner so you can clip it to your bag or belt loop.

ESSENTIAL LIVING WORM COMPOSTER BIN | $68 AT HOME DEPOT

Vermicomposting, aka composting with worms, is the most eco-friendly way to break down old food scraps and create nutrient-dense fertilizer for your garden. Thanks to this sleek, midcentury modern compost bin you don’t even need an outdoor space to reap the rewards of working with worms. The Essential Living bin can easily be tucked into any corner of your kitchen and stackable trays allow you to expand your worm empire whenever you need more space. 

INDOOR HERB KIT | $20 AT URBAN FARMER

Those plastic clamshell containers of fresh herbs at the supermarket come with a high price for both shoppers and the environment. Growing your own herbs is as easy as setting a few pots on a sunny windowsill. We love the Urban Farmer kit with its five seed choices and color-coordinated trio of pots made out of biodegradable materials. Test out your green thumb, and get ready to garnish your meals with delicious homegrown herbs. 

BON AMI POWDER CLEANSER | $2.39 AT THRIVE MARKET

Long before nontoxic, biodegradable cleaning products were a thing, Bon Ami powder was around to tackle scrubbing and polishing tasks. The five-ingredient formula has stood the test of time and is now a favorite for eco-friendly cleanup. What’s more, the paper-and-aluminum shaker is 100% recyclable and made from 65% post-consumer recycled materials.

BAMBOO STRAWS | 8 FOR $5 AT PUBLIC GOODS

Designed to be long-lasting but biodegradable when their time is up, these bamboo straws are ideal for beverage fanatics. Each set comes with a wire cleaning brush and six straws of varying sizes so you can find the perfect fit for your drink. Help keep harmful plastics out of the ocean by ditching single-use plastic straws and opting for these sleek, reusable ones, which easily fit in your purse or backpack.

REUSABLE SHOPPING BAG | $14 AT BAGGU

Effortlessly transport your groceries from the store to the kitchen with these cute, sturdy reusable bags. Made from 100% recycled nylon yarn that was diverted from landfills, each bag folds into a tiny pouch for easy storage. The icing on the cake? The packaging and shipping materials are also made from 100 percent recycled materials, so your entire order is kind to the Earth.  Baggu is known for its cute prints, and the Apricots & Ribbons pattern shown above is just one of the 36 colorful options.

DROPPS DISHWASHER PODS | 64 FOR $28 AT DROPPS

Want sparkling clean dishes without the harsh chemicals of standard dishwasher detergents? The enzyme-based ingredients in Dropps dishwasher pods are free of dyes, phosphates, and chlorine so you can rest easy about the quality of water going down the drain. Each pod is made from a water-soluble casing that dissolves during the rinse cycle so you don’t have to deal with sticky bottles or loose powder. Plus, the recyclable packaging and 100% carbon neutral shipping make this eco-friendly cleaning product a no-brainer.

BUBBLE UP DISH SOAP DISPENSER AND BRUSH SET | $16 AT GROVE COLLABORATIVE

Crafted from renewable bamboo, recycled plastic, and long-lasting ceramic, this dish soap dispenser and brush set is sustainable and chic. Simply add soap and a splash of water to the spring-loaded ceramic base, then gently pump the brush up and down to create perfect sudsy foam for all your cleaning needs. Creating foam in the ceramic base instead of on the dishes themselves will cut down on the amount of soap you use—saving you money and reducing your use of plastic bottles. 

REUSABLE PRODUCE BAGS | 13 FOR $30 AT AMAZON

Shop sustainably with these handy mesh pouches, which eliminate the need for plastic produce bags. The organic cotton fabric is fully biodegradable and uses an easy-pull drawstring to prevent your groceries from tumbling out. Each bag can carry up to 20 pounds, making them perfect for big trips to the store. Plus, the plastic-free paper packaging is recyclable. 

FLEXIBLE FIT LIDS | 3 FOR $45 AT FOOD HUGGERS

Tired of using plastic wrap and tinfoil to cover your hodge-podge collection of bowls? This eco-friendly kitchen product is a gamechanger. The durable tempered glass center of each Flexible Fit Lid allows you to see what’s inside your bowl and is strong enough for stacking. The stretchy silicone sides hug any container with ease and form a tight seal so your food stays fresh. Never worry about using wasteful products to save leftovers again. 

SCRAP COLLECTOR AND FREEZER COMPOST BIN | $17 AT AMAZON

This cost-effective and eco-friendly compost bucket features a nifty metal hook that attaches to cabinet drawers so you can easily scoop food scraps off the counter while you work. When you’re done, pop it in the freezer to eliminate odors and keep the scraps out of site. When it’s full, simply dump everything into your compost pile! The silicone bin is dishwasher-safe and flexible enough to fit in small spaces, including most freezer doors. Plus, this compact bin is made without any harmful dyes, chemicals, or plastics that could hurt the environment when it finally wears out. 

SILICONE BAKING MAT | $6 AT WALMART

Swap out parchment paper for an endlessly reusable baking mat. The nonstick surface is perfect for cooking without oil and doesn’t cling to food as it bakes. Easy to clean, simple to store, and printed with built-in measurements, this essential mat will certainly increase the sustainability of your cooking routine. 

MRS. MEYERS LAVENDER KITCHEN BASICS SET | $14 AT MRS. MEYERS

Known for their sustainable approach to household cleaning products, a Mrs. Meyer’s Kitchen Basics Set will keep your home sparkling clean and eco-friendly. Their cruelty-free formulas are biodegradable and free of ammonia, chlorine, parabens, pthalates, and formaldehyde, and all the packaging is  recyclable. Choose from nearly two dozen garden-inspired scents to add a little aromatherapy to your deep-cleaning chores!

GLASS STORAGE CONTAINERS | 12 FOR $32 AT AMAZON 

If you have a tower of stained and warped plastic containers that take up too much space in your cabinets, consider upgrading to a nice glass set that is dishwasher- and microwave-safe. The sturdy glass construction allows you to easily see what’s inside so you don’t waste leftovers or forget about your meal prep. This 12-piece set features four round, four rectangular, and four square containers with leak-proof snap-shut lids that are BPA-free. 

The post Editors’ Picks: Eco-Friendly Kitchen Products For a Greener Home appeared first on Forks Over Knives.