Kenny Torrella
@kennytorrella.bsky.social
Writing about factory farming and the future of meat at Vox.
I set out to write a story about the practical ills of salmon farming (and I did), but also found an even bigger story kinda hidden in plain sight: How humanity is speedrunning the domestication of hundreds of aquatic species, and what it means for them.
November 13, 2025 at 5:48 PM
I set out to write a story about the practical ills of salmon farming (and I did), but also found an even bigger story kinda hidden in plain sight: How humanity is speedrunning the domestication of hundreds of aquatic species, and what it means for them.
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
Bird flu has been a costly disease. The government has spent billions to manage it, including compensating egg and dairy producers for their losses, while consumers have spent an additional $14.5 billion on eggs in 2024 & 2025 alone, according to one estimate.
So will we ever get it under control?
So will we ever get it under control?
We may never get bird flu — or egg prices — under control
That déjà vu you’re feeling? Blame the chicken meat industry.
www.vox.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Bird flu has been a costly disease. The government has spent billions to manage it, including compensating egg and dairy producers for their losses, while consumers have spent an additional $14.5 billion on eggs in 2024 & 2025 alone, according to one estimate.
So will we ever get it under control?
So will we ever get it under control?
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
Myths about our ancestors' meaty diets animate modern politics and culture wars about food and identity. But the history of human diets tells a different story about food's past and lets us be more rational about its future.
@gnrosenberg.bsky.social & I for @vox.com
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
@gnrosenberg.bsky.social & I for @vox.com
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
The myth of the carnivore caveman
You are not going to like where our ancestors got their protein.
www.vox.com
October 31, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Myths about our ancestors' meaty diets animate modern politics and culture wars about food and identity. But the history of human diets tells a different story about food's past and lets us be more rational about its future.
@gnrosenberg.bsky.social & I for @vox.com
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
@gnrosenberg.bsky.social & I for @vox.com
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Bird flu is back, and outbreaks have already led to the culling of 7.3M farmed birds. The US has effective vaccines, and I wrote about why we don't use them (and why we should): www.vox.com/future-perfe...
We may never get bird flu — or egg prices — under control
That déjà vu you’re feeling? Blame the chicken meat industry.
www.vox.com
October 30, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Bird flu is back, and outbreaks have already led to the culling of 7.3M farmed birds. The US has effective vaccines, and I wrote about why we don't use them (and why we should): www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
Great to see @washingtonpost.com cover cancer rates in the Corn Belt but nitrate pollution is mentioned as an aside while glyphosate is the "center of the controversy." This ignores reporting from @sentientmedia.org @investigatemidwest.bsky.social & others and research from... wapo.st/3Le1yXo
The mysterious rise of cancer among young adults in the Corn Belt
Communities across the Corn Belt are confronting a rise in cancers among young adults — and few clear explanations.
wapo.st
October 27, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Great to see @washingtonpost.com cover cancer rates in the Corn Belt but nitrate pollution is mentioned as an aside while glyphosate is the "center of the controversy." This ignores reporting from @sentientmedia.org @investigatemidwest.bsky.social & others and research from... wapo.st/3Le1yXo
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
Terrific explanation by @jandutkiewicz.bsky.social in @vox.com of why you don't have to worry about lead in your protein powder.
Setting unrealistic target levels for contaminants and then testing stuff and claiming it's unsafe has a long and storied history.
Setting unrealistic target levels for contaminants and then testing stuff and claiming it's unsafe has a long and storied history.
October 22, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Terrific explanation by @jandutkiewicz.bsky.social in @vox.com of why you don't have to worry about lead in your protein powder.
Setting unrealistic target levels for contaminants and then testing stuff and claiming it's unsafe has a long and storied history.
Setting unrealistic target levels for contaminants and then testing stuff and claiming it's unsafe has a long and storied history.
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
You may have read that your protein supplements are giving you lead poisoning. That's not the case. If you want to have protein shakes, that's fine. But whether you need to and whether they're safely regulated is a different story. My latest for @vox.com.
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
No, your protein powder isn’t poisoning you
New testing finds two-thirds of popular protein powders exceed lead limits — especially plant-based brands. What you need to know before your next scoop — and why the reality is different.
www.vox.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:36 PM
You may have read that your protein supplements are giving you lead poisoning. That's not the case. If you want to have protein shakes, that's fine. But whether you need to and whether they're safely regulated is a different story. My latest for @vox.com.
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
There's increasing awareness of the role the animal ag industry plays in climate obstruction, but this new book brings all the peer-reviewed research on the subject together in one place and it's 🤯.
drilled.media/podcasts/dri...
drilled.media/podcasts/dri...
S14, Ep7 | How the Animal Ag Industry Obstructs Climate Policy
Investigating the obstacles to action on climate change.
drilled.media
October 21, 2025 at 10:31 PM
There's increasing awareness of the role the animal ag industry plays in climate obstruction, but this new book brings all the peer-reviewed research on the subject together in one place and it's 🤯.
drilled.media/podcasts/dri...
drilled.media/podcasts/dri...
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
At #COP30 next month in Brazil, the animal ag (and broader ag) industry is likely to be as active as the fossil fuel guys obstructing commitments to emissions reductions. I got a crash course on how they work from the great @profsecchi.bsky.social and Kathrin Lauber and terrific new @cssn.org book
There's increasing awareness of the role the animal ag industry plays in climate obstruction, but this new book brings all the peer-reviewed research on the subject together in one place and it's 🤯.
drilled.media/podcasts/dri...
drilled.media/podcasts/dri...
S14, Ep7 | How the Animal Ag Industry Obstructs Climate Policy
Investigating the obstacles to action on climate change.
drilled.media
October 21, 2025 at 10:36 PM
At #COP30 next month in Brazil, the animal ag (and broader ag) industry is likely to be as active as the fossil fuel guys obstructing commitments to emissions reductions. I got a crash course on how they work from the great @profsecchi.bsky.social and Kathrin Lauber and terrific new @cssn.org book
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
Excellent soy primer by @mbolotnikova.bsky.social for @vox.com.
"Humans use too much soy, a magnificently productive crop, for perilously unproductive purposes."
Soy is an amazing crop! But it's a symptom of our meat addiction.
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
"Humans use too much soy, a magnificently productive crop, for perilously unproductive purposes."
Soy is an amazing crop! But it's a symptom of our meat addiction.
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
How soybeans took over America — and the world
This technology could feed a world of 10 billion. We’re squandering it, and the trade war with China could make it worse.
www.vox.com
October 16, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Excellent soy primer by @mbolotnikova.bsky.social for @vox.com.
"Humans use too much soy, a magnificently productive crop, for perilously unproductive purposes."
Soy is an amazing crop! But it's a symptom of our meat addiction.
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
"Humans use too much soy, a magnificently productive crop, for perilously unproductive purposes."
Soy is an amazing crop! But it's a symptom of our meat addiction.
www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
"How much soy we produce shouldn’t be a barometer for how well our agriculture sector is doing, but for how unsustainable it is."
I wrote for @newrepublic.com that the trade war with China shows we grow too many crops to feed not people but factory-farmed animals.
newrepublic.com/article/2014...
I wrote for @newrepublic.com that the trade war with China shows we grow too many crops to feed not people but factory-farmed animals.
newrepublic.com/article/2014...
Trump’s Tariffs Should Force a Reckoning With America’s Soy Industry
The industry became the world’s second largest not because of human demand for soy, but to feed China’s pigs.
newrepublic.com
October 10, 2025 at 12:43 PM
"How much soy we produce shouldn’t be a barometer for how well our agriculture sector is doing, but for how unsustainable it is."
I wrote for @newrepublic.com that the trade war with China shows we grow too many crops to feed not people but factory-farmed animals.
newrepublic.com/article/2014...
I wrote for @newrepublic.com that the trade war with China shows we grow too many crops to feed not people but factory-farmed animals.
newrepublic.com/article/2014...
USDA enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act just keeps getting worse. According to a new analysis, the (recent) blame could lie with SCOTUS and the Trump admin:
October 8, 2025 at 1:16 PM
USDA enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act just keeps getting worse. According to a new analysis, the (recent) blame could lie with SCOTUS and the Trump admin:
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
Important reporting from @kennytorrella.bsky.social on how the meat lobby has infiltrated NYC climate week, including sponsoring Regen House and Food Tank events. Full story here: www.vox.com/future-perfe...
October 6, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Important reporting from @kennytorrella.bsky.social on how the meat lobby has infiltrated NYC climate week, including sponsoring Regen House and Food Tank events. Full story here: www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
The most effective way to avert a climate change catastrophe: People in wealthier countries have to eat more plant-based foods and less red meat, poultry, and dairy.
The climate movement’s biggest weakness
What the climate movement is getting dead wrong.
www.vox.com
October 3, 2025 at 8:53 PM
The most effective way to avert a climate change catastrophe: People in wealthier countries have to eat more plant-based foods and less red meat, poultry, and dairy.
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
“For the past 2 decades, scientists have…landed on the same takeaways—esp. that rich countries must shift their diets to be more plant-based. But that message has, with few exceptions, failed to incite action by governments and food companies, or even the environmental movement itself.” #EatLancet
The rich must eat less meat
Scientists say rich countries need to eat a lot less meat. Will the environmental movement finally listen?
www.vox.com
October 3, 2025 at 8:13 PM
“For the past 2 decades, scientists have…landed on the same takeaways—esp. that rich countries must shift their diets to be more plant-based. But that message has, with few exceptions, failed to incite action by governments and food companies, or even the environmental movement itself.” #EatLancet
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
This really hits home, particularly after attending the FAO Sustainable Livestock Transformation conference this week which - over 3 days - remained silent on the issue of overconsumption…
The new EAT-Lancet report is out and I wrote about it -- and also what I saw at Climate Week NYC: An environmental movement still cozying up to Big Meat, and still unafraid to confront scientific consensus on food, agriculture, and livestock.
October 3, 2025 at 12:48 PM
This really hits home, particularly after attending the FAO Sustainable Livestock Transformation conference this week which - over 3 days - remained silent on the issue of overconsumption…
The new EAT-Lancet report is out and I wrote about it -- and also what I saw at Climate Week NYC: An environmental movement still cozying up to Big Meat, and still unafraid to confront scientific consensus on food, agriculture, and livestock.
October 3, 2025 at 12:32 PM
The new EAT-Lancet report is out and I wrote about it -- and also what I saw at Climate Week NYC: An environmental movement still cozying up to Big Meat, and still unafraid to confront scientific consensus on food, agriculture, and livestock.
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
RIP Jane Goodall. As someone who learned about her work in elementary school, it was pretty cool as an adult to see her in her 80s on stage at the Global Climate Action Summit in 2018, talking about the advantages of eating more plants/less meat for animals, our health, nature, and the climate. 💚
October 1, 2025 at 7:20 PM
RIP Jane Goodall. As someone who learned about her work in elementary school, it was pretty cool as an adult to see her in her 80s on stage at the Global Climate Action Summit in 2018, talking about the advantages of eating more plants/less meat for animals, our health, nature, and the climate. 💚
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
Meat is a leading emissions source – but few outlets report on it, analysis finds
Meat is a leading emissions source – but few outlets report on it, analysis finds
Sentient Media reveals less than 4% of climate news stories mention animal agriculture as source of carbon emissions
www.theguardian.com
September 27, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Meat is a leading emissions source – but few outlets report on it, analysis finds
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins gave a glimpse inside the upcoming Dietary Guidelines for Americans, saying the recommendations will boost demand for U.S. beef and whole milk.
Ag Secretary Hints at a Boost to Beef in Upcoming Dietary Guidelines
Public health groups have raised concerns that the Trump administration may reverse course on saturated fats, despite scientific evidence linking these fats to negative health outcomes.
buff.ly
September 26, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins gave a glimpse inside the upcoming Dietary Guidelines for Americans, saying the recommendations will boost demand for U.S. beef and whole milk.
Uh, so EDF is now republishing op-eds from a dairy industry publication:
September 26, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Uh, so EDF is now republishing op-eds from a dairy industry publication:
New from me -- the cheapest way to prevent animal cruelty. Gift link here: www.vox.com/future-perfe...
September 18, 2025 at 5:10 PM
New from me -- the cheapest way to prevent animal cruelty. Gift link here: www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
EPA already caved - multiple times - on similar issues in regards to confined livestock production: kicking down the can for air and water (via studies that take forever), and withholding CAFO data that states share by law...
What's the lesson? I'd say 1) we need states to pick up the slack...
What's the lesson? I'd say 1) we need states to pick up the slack...
E.P.A. To Stop Collecting Emissions Data From Polluters
www.nytimes.com
September 13, 2025 at 3:23 AM
EPA already caved - multiple times - on similar issues in regards to confined livestock production: kicking down the can for air and water (via studies that take forever), and withholding CAFO data that states share by law...
What's the lesson? I'd say 1) we need states to pick up the slack...
What's the lesson? I'd say 1) we need states to pick up the slack...
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
JBS is the largest meat processor in the United States; its workforce is also highly dependent on refugees and asylum seekers.
September 1, 2025 at 2:10 PM
JBS is the largest meat processor in the United States; its workforce is also highly dependent on refugees and asylum seekers.
Reposted by Kenny Torrella
In which Jasmine, Mariann, and I talk about that awful NYT article about animal rights activism in Sonoma. Have a listen.
In our new Hen Report, @jandutkiewicz.bsky.social joins @jasminsinger.com & @marisul.bsky.social to expose how "humane" farming myths let consumers avoid questioning food choices. Listen now to their critique of a recent NYT article and discussion of Jan's forthcoming novel. ourhenhouse.org/ep843 🎧
September 4, 2025 at 3:10 PM
In which Jasmine, Mariann, and I talk about that awful NYT article about animal rights activism in Sonoma. Have a listen.