Some startling stats today at the All-Ireland Obesity Action Forum’s conference on the impacts of digital marketing. 💰 Digital advertising spend due to be $1 trillion by 2028 🇮🇪 Children spend 4.5 hours on average on digital devices (some up to 10 hrs!) 🍟 Exposed to unhealthy food ads every 4 mins

REVEALED: The EU spends hundreds of times more public money on high-emissions beef and dairy than legumes and nuts through its common agricultural policy (CAP) subsidies, according to new figures published today by Foodrise. Read the new report: foodrise.org.uk/CAPCrossroads/

80% of agricultural land is used for livestock (and textiles), yet this huge land use provides only 17% of our calories and 38% of our protein. 16% of the land used for crops provides 83% of our calories and 62% of our protein. It's past time we rethink what we eat.

EU #CAP farm subsidies overwhelmingly go to those who are already rich, and not enough support reaches those who really need it Farmers on the brink of bankruptcy, small agroecological farms, and all those who want to transition to more sustainable practices – these need real support

Why can sugary cereals or even candies proudly boast about vitamin D or ‘no fat’? Well because the EU hasn’t done its job…for *17* years. Nutritional standards - ‘nutrient profiles’ - would’ve stopped these kinds of misleading claims on labels but the EU has missed the deadline since.. 19/01/2009🎂

"Eating less meat remains one of the fastest, easiest & cheapest ways to cut emissions... It’s especially important as many other climate solutions become more expensive, politically fraught or unavailable… It’s not possible to separate our own health from that of the planet." [Also: dairy = meat!]

Oh wow… where to start.. Red meat and cheese (!) prioritised and put on the same level as broccoli and carrots Butter above bananas And whole grains at the very bottom… 🙄 Making America confused again

🚨Excellent new report on influencer marketing from my former colleagues exposing the myriad ways food brands are using the powerful sway of influencers to push kids+teens towards junk food. 👉As brands increasingly engage these marketing tactics, regulators need to take the issue in hand, urgently!

Getting restaurants to serve more plant-based food can have big climate impacts.

🍬‘One portion = Happiness!’ Great that Haribo have made giant stuffed toy versions of their sweets…🙄 Now they can market to kids *inside* their bedrooms. This is of course a company who claim they don’t market to under 16s

Maybe some Irish and EU policymakers could pick up a copy of this kid’s book I found today.. Which seems to have a better grasp of what needs to happen to livestock agriculture in Ireland…

For anyone claiming to care about farmers’ livelihoods or food prices for the consumer, THIS is the key to the answer: tackling the climate crisis. Resources and efforts should be (laser) focused… tick tock… ⏰

♥️ Good to see diets haven’t been totally ignored in the new EU ‘Safe Hearts Plan’ but still so much untapped potential to address #foodenvironments Hoping in particular the evaluation of unhealthy food marketing to kids will indeed lead to a proposal for stricter rules (how could it not?!)

In the UK in 2022 (most recent year for data), "115,000 deaths were associated with unhealthy diets. Of these, 49,000 were associated with excess consumption of dairy, red meat, and processed meat." @lancetcountdown.bsky.social Data Sheet 2025 lancetcountdown.org/wp-content/u...

Food corporations built a system where junk is cheap, everywhere, and aggressively marketed. The diets they profit off are killing people - 800,000+ deaths every year in Europe - while public health costs explode. #EUAgriFoodDays #FeedPeopleNotAgribusiness

🍫 When your chocolate bar isn’t ‘chocolate’ anymore… Cocoa production is acutely affected by the climate crisis and manufacturers are responding by dropping the % of cocoa solids in their products.. Expect to see more of this as temps rise unabated.. www.confectionerynews.com/Article/2025...

A majority of #consumers in Germany want mandatory #labeling of all food products using the traffic light system #NutriScore, according to a comprehensive survey. Almost all consumers (91%) are already familiar with the #nutrition label… (1/2) www.foodwatch.org/de/fuenf-jah... #label

These two stories are somehow connected. Apparently, if you lobby tirelessly for more pollution & ecological wreckage, that’s exactly what you get.

A reprieve (for how long?) for the ridiculous veggie burger name ban But what a colossal waste of political energy spent on a such a farcical attempt to undermine plant based options 😑 www.politico.eu/article/eu-v...

Today it's exactly 6 years ago that EU Commission President Von der Leyen announced the European Green Deal, which she called "Europe's Man on the Moon moment" 🎂 Von der Leyen's priority today? Acting on corporate demands for #deregulation, recklessly rolling back environment and health standards 😡

At this month’s AGRIFISH Council, ministers must send a clear signal to the @ec.europa.eu and support the modernisation of the EU animal welfare legislation for farm animals. Why? Read along. 🧵

🎯 Very sick of passing this bus stop ad with my little ones this month (obviously they think it’s great - ‘Santa!!’) If junk food ads on tv are worth regulating then junk food ads outdoors are too

Ireland’s water is going green, yet the EU just approved YET another nitrates derogation... Rural communities have spoken: they want clean rivers, not more pollution. Science and public health are clear. It’s time to enforce the rules and safeguard Ireland’s waters. Press release & letter below👇

Recommendations from the report suggest: ⚖️ Universal basic income 🥓 Taxes on meat 🌱 Subsidies for healthy plant-based foods As the EU frivously debates the names of veggie sausages and burgers, it feels like we’re a lonnng way away from the political seriousness urgently needed…

👉‘All the environmental crises were worsening as the global population grows and required more food and energy, most of which was produced in ways that pollute the planet and destroy the natural world, the experts said. A sustainable world was possible, they said, but required political courage.’

No ham in hamburgers, no dogs in hot dogs - and consumers get it. The EU should focus on promoting sustainable diets, not on policing words and making obvious obstacles to plant-based foods. CONCITO supports this call against the "veggie burger ban" 🍔🌱 #noconfusion

Ireland's nitrates derogation & water quality — survey reveals public value clean freshwaters & have negative attitudes to raising farming allowance on nitrates @epaireland.bsky.social find agriculture is a primary source of nitrogen pollution in our waters www.antaisce.org/news/public-...

🚨Industrial agriculture consumes most of our food, while millions go hungry in Europe. Most EU farmland isn’t supporting people - it’s feeding factory farms. That’s land we need to grow real food and nourish communities. #EUAgriFoodDays #FeedPeopleNotAgribusiness

‘The ignoring of facts, the sidelining of scientists and the breezy assertions, repeated ad nauseum, that Irish agriculture is ‘sustainable’ are largely responsible for the mess Irish farming finds itself in.’ 💯

'It’s urgent that we support a shift to plant-rich diets.' Oxford @oxmartinschool.bsky.social’s Prof Paul Behrens sets out why the UK food system needs reform - and how it could benefit farmers, the public and nature ⬇️ #OxfordClimate

‼️ 789 DAYS ‼️ That is how long it has been since the @ec.europa.eu promised updated legislation for animals on farms. This morning we gave a reminder to EU Member States attending the Animal Welfare Conference. It's time to move #ForwardforAnimals ➡️ www.eurogroupforanimals.org/forward-anim...

💥 🇪🇺 Breaking EU Ombudsman decision! Following a complaints, European Ombudswoman #TeresaAnjinho calls hasty deregulation proposals by #EuropeanCommission maladministration! See: tinyurl.com/5t5x42uz Following 3 complaints it now seems the EC did not follow it's own 'Better Regulation' rules. 😱

Some EU decision-makers are on a mission to roll back vital nature laws. Our response to that? #HandsOffNature! Environmental laws need no fixing; they need enforcing. Leave them intact. Read more in our 'EU simplification explained' FAQ 👉 www.birdlife.org/wp-content/u...

Excellent read: how EU taxpayers’ money is going to marketing funds promoting intensive meat and dairy production (often with bogus claims) The 2020 #FarmToFork strategy committed to making the EU promotion policy more sustainable but naturally, it was another victim of the agri industry lobbying….

🥛Sugar tax, rightly, being extended to sugary dairy drinks in the UK. 🥤 A shame that it won’t cover such drinks sold in restaurants, fast food outlets or cafes where ‘freakshakes’ or ‘frappuccinos’ contain grotesque amounts of sugar, some nearly hitting the recommended daily limit in *one* drink…

“Even if fossil fuel emissions were eliminated immediately, emissions from the global food system alone would make it impossible to limit warming to 1.5°C and difficult even to realize the 2°C target…major changes in how food is produced [and consumed] are needed…”

European Court of Justice ruling slams Ireland on water quality, a ‘national embarrassment’. How long more will the people of this country put up with our rivers being destroyed for private profit? share.google/xzTWNuALN6PE...

We're constantly being told that pollution prevention measures are working and more time is needed to show results. But the rivers don't lie. www.independent.ie/regionals/co...

New 🇮🇹 food faux outrage just dropped 🥱 Lollobrigida upset a jar of carbonara has the wrong type of processed meat (yes really). Always reminds me of the excellent @financialtimes.com on the invention of Italian food traditions. As American as it is Italian it seems..pork jowl not until the 90s..

NEW report by @greenpeace.de 🚨 Shein's ultra-fast fashion system is based on overproduction, hazardous chemicals, and exploitation. 32% of tested garments contained hazardous chemicals exceeding limits set by the European Chemicals Regulation (REACH), including children's clothing. Read it below 👇

Some startling statistics here on agri industry infiltration in Cop30: 😫300+ big agri lobbyists present 🥓🧀 Meat + dairy lobbyists most common (72 out of 302 agri lobbyists) 👨🏻‍💻1 in 4 agri lobbyists part of country official delegations (!!) Business as usual>lobbying as usual>inaction as usual

The Common Agricultural Policy should support a shift towards #SustainableFoodSystems: moving away from low-welfare husbandry while supporting nature-friendly farming and fairer incomes. As MEPs head into talks on this policy, here are key recommendations by the @eufpc.bsky.social 👉 bit.ly/3LKI1hv

More great news on the state of children’s health

Yet more special treatment for the wine industry: no debate allowed on the new 🍷 package? 🙄 I’ve been in meetings where the industry has woefully complained young people aren’t drinking enough 🍷. Why do we need these interventions to prop it up though? ‘Let the market decide’..unless it’s wine 🫠

So the EP Agri committee, so adamant that consumers would be confused by labels saying VeggyBurger or Vegeterian sausage, have voted to allow booze producers to replace health indications with a QR code Transparency seems is a one way street. Leading away from healthier and more sustainable diets.

Very sorry to read that Eurocare will be closing its Brussels office. The EU alcohol industry is a lobbying juggernaut which has maintained its unjustified special treatment for decades. With no dedicated EU public health org working on alcohol, fixing this imbalance is now even more difficult :(

Not only is the NutrInform battery (made in 🇮🇹 as an ‘alternative’ to the #Nutriscore) nowhere to be seen in Italian supermarkets (apart from a few Ferrero products 🤨), but as the programme shows, very complex and not easy to understand! A total red herring 😒

Watching the last itw I did before leaving 🇧🇪 (and @beuc.eu 😢) on the sabotage of the #NutriScore Great exposure of the unprecedented level of lobbying against a public health tool in 🇮🇹. From Ferrero to Meloni, Coldiretti to Federalimentare: shocking the effort made to stop it becoming the EU label

Something so singularly depressing to be out of the Brussels bubble for 3 months, to now see that *this* is what has been occupying our decision-makers' time... The planet burns and we're talking about whether a veggie sausage can be called a sausage, my god... www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Think I need a shower after reading this exposé into the dirty tricks of the meat industry (and their paid shills) who worked relentlessly to undermine the EAT Lancet planetary diet... Having had the misfortune to engage with one of the mis-influencers mentioned, this paragraph👇 rings very true: