Improvements are happening that are great. They are also necessary because of the growth of that industry. That doesn't mean more doesn't need to be done or that it isn't a problem. I also assume when people cut back on eating animals they would also be more conscience of their source for the meat they buy and get them from sustainable better places.
B12 and iron are the only thing vegans struggle with. It's not that difficult. Most vegans are more healthy. I don't necessarily think the answer is vegetarianism or veganism personally. Our bodies haven't evolved to eat what we are eating period, they also haven't evolved for how long we are living. Most people are not properly eating unless they understand nutrition and are paying attention to their diet. So I'm not sure what the difference would be. Vegans generally understand nutrition better then the average person and eat more healthy. Lots of our food needs to be fortified.
The older we get the less we absorb vital nutrients. That's is why we need more food fortified or need to supplement otherwise it would lead to diseases and other health problems, arguably they do even with because people eat poorly. B12 is a good example of that, anyone over 50 needs to be eating foods fortified with it or supplementing. Eating the foods you listed isn't enough due to a few factors one of which is the lower levels of vitamins and minerals in the food we eat. That is why it is fortified back into food. Some of which is fortified in the food itself some of which is fortified into animals diets. Iodine would be lacking in most people's diet especially people not living near the ocean or consuming ocean food. We fortify iodine into the foods animals eat and into our food such as salt. Vitamin D is lacking in most people and needs to be fortified. calcium is fortified a lot although there is debated about wether it should be. There are many other examples of this.
I'll read it more thoroughly later but a cursory glance shows lots of criticism of it, a lack of studies and research and a lot of opinion in that article. It looks like attention grabbing on a hot topic. Also I'm not vegan and don't think the world should go vegan. I think we need to adjust how we eat and reducing meat consumption will help the environment and improve most people's diet. Very few people in the USA eat very healthy. The food industry itself is not going to help people change that. Eating vegan is a healthy lifestyle choice that is sustainable for people who choose it. Forcing them to stop and shaming them is what you are irritated that they do.
