Veggie burgers have come a long way since I gave up meat in the 90s. Back then you got a mushy mix of cubed carrots and peas with a crispy outside layer. There was definitely no attempt to mimic meat. But times (and veggie burgers) change. When the European Parliament voted recently to reserve words like “steak”, “sausage” and “burger” purely for meat products, it did so largely to protect consumers from being misled.

But does the public really need this level of protection, which may also apply in the UK thanks to a new trade agreement? Research into consumers’ responses to a chicken producer’s advertising campaign suggests not. And the blowback to the campaign shows that any business or politician that underestimates the savviness of shoppers does so at their peril.

Plans to limit the right to trial by jury in England and Wales have thrown up an important consideration – what this move could mean for racial discrimination in the justice system. Research suggests that black, Asian and minority ethnic defendants could be unfairly penalised without access to a jury trial.

And while animal hybridisation sparks debate, a new study of Australian dingoes has found that hybrid strains that emerged after domestic dogs arrived from Europe may have enjoyed evolutionary benefits.

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