5@5: UN report shows plant-based diet could fight climate change | 6 states sue EPA over harmful pesticide

Plant-based diet can fight climate change

According to a recently released report from the UN on land use and climate change, the high consumption of meat and dairy products in the West is fueling global warming in a major way; this means that eating less meat and more vegetables is a tangible way the average person can have an impact on climate change. UN experts also advise that we fundamentally change our farming methods, protect natural forests, safeguard and restoring peatlands and encourage agroforestry in order to manage greenhouse gases. Read more at BBC …

6 states sue EPA over pesticide tied to brain damage

Following the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of the continued use of chlorpyrifos, a pesticide linked to learning and memory issues and prolonged nerve and muscle stimulation, six states are suing the agency. Some farmers, on the other hand, are urging the EPA to keep the pesticide on the market, arguing that entire production fields could be lost should it be banned. Read more at The Hill …

Supermarkets near home, fast-food along commute tied to obesity

A U.S. study has found that people who pass more fast-food restaurants during their commute have higher body mass index (BMI) than those with fewer encounters. While that finding was somewhat expected, researchers also discovered that people who lived close to supermarkets and smaller grocery stores had higher BMI as well. This “suggests that the ready availability of unhealthy food is part of the problem, but so are people who bypass the produce aisles to grab junk food and frozen dinners." Read more at Reuters …

An inside look at how Monsanto, a PR firm and a reporter give readers a warped view of science

Monsanto’s tactics to reassure readers that its glyphosate-based products are safe largely mimic the tobacco industry’s efforts to skew scientific evidence and incite consumer confusion decades ago. This corporate strategy of setting up one’s own science in addition to shaping and influencing the discussion that stems from it is extremely dangerous for consumers’ health. Read more at Huffington Post …

FDA tells CBD-sellers to stop touting unproven health claims

The Federal Drug Administration recently issued a warning letter to Curaleaf, one of the country’s largest CBD producers, because of unsupported marketing claims attached to its CBD products. Many CBD companies are currently using inconclusive or semi-related research to sell their products—and while FDA has not been monitoring CBD incredibly closely, a reckoning for irresponsible CBD marketing efforts is on the horizon. Read more at Modern Farmer …