BLUEFIN TUNA: Sushi chefs in Tokyo, Japan, work behind a refrigerated, counter-top display of three different types of fillets from Atlantic bluefin tuna. At the 175-nation Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) convention, which is underway in Qatar, the group is looking to ban the trade of Atlantic bluefin tuna. Environmentalists say that the tuna are being fished at an unsustainable rate. Japan has said it will not comply with such a ban and that it has China's support in opposing it. Itsuo Inouye/AP
Seal meat: On March 9, seal meat is set to be served to Canada's parliament as part of a protest to the European Unions ban on seal hunting last May. Ottawa is fighting the ban, which includes all seal products, including clothing, meat, and oil. Supporters of seal hunting say that the annual hunt, in which 270,000 seals are killed in March and April, is sustainable and provides an integral income to isolated communities in Canada. Here, activists from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) demonstrate outside the Canadian Embassy in Washington against the hunting of seals. Yuri Gripas/Reuters
Cats: Legal experts in China are proposing a ban on the culinary tradition of eating cats and dogs, The Guardian reported in January. The consumption of cats and dogs has been most prevalent in Asia, however in February, an Italian cooking show host, Beppe Bigazzi, created a stir when he described cat stew as a Tuscan delicacy. This image shows stray cats on a street in Havana, Cuba, as two Cuban school girls walk by. Newscom
Veal: Some people object to veal, the meat of baby calves, because of how the calves are treated. Calves have often been kept in small crates their whole lives, a practice that some say are necessary for disease control and in reducing injury to the calves, yet the American Veal Association announced it would end the practice of crating by 2017. A small girl from Berlin, Vt., grooms a four-week-old calf at the annual Vermont Farm Show in Barre, Vt., which features 200 exhibits, competitions, and special events. Toby Talbot/AP
Shark-fin soup: Shark-fin soup is considered a delicacy in China and can cost up to $100. Many shark species are becoming endangered because of the overfishing and shark finning most common in Asia. The sharks' fins are removed while the shark is alive, and the rest of the animal is thrown back into the sea, as shark meat is not worth much to the fishing companies. Shark finning can also harm the ecosystems in the oceans. In the US shark finning was banned by Congress in 2000. In this photo, Caribbean reef sharks swim near the surface. Newscom
Dolphins: The Best Documentary Academy Award at the 2010 Oscars went to 'The Cove,' which documents an annual dolphin hunt in Taiji, Japan. The film has sparked an international debate, with some describing the capture and slaughter of dolphins for consumption as cruel. Some in Japan defend the dolphin hunting as legal, regulated, and an ancient tradition. Here, a mother dolphin and her newborn calf swim at Sea Life Park Hawaii in Honolulu. Sea Life Park Hawaii/PRNewsFoto
Elephants: Though the revered national animal of Thailand, elephants are still poached in many nations, not just for their ivory, but also their meat. In Zimbabwe, elephant meat is cheaper and in some cases more available than beef for members of the army, a spokesman for the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, Johnny Rodrigues, told the BBC. In Bangkok, Thailand, a mahout sits with his elephant after a training exercise at an elephant conservation park on Feb. 6. Sukree Sukplang/Reuters
Genetically modified foods: Genetically modified foods have had their DNA altered to enhance desired traits such as resistance to herbicides, color, or nutritional content. On March 2, the European Commission approved a biotech potato and granted leeway on regulating biotech crops. The US Supreme Court in April will hear arguments about the safety of genetically engineered foods. Rosemarie Lion/ZUMA Press/Greenpeace/Newscom
Whales: While much of the world protects whales and bans whaling, some countries, such as Japan, Norway, and Iceland continue to hunt these sea mammals. Here, members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an anti-whaling group, follow the Japanese whaler Yushin Maru in Antarctic waters. AFP/Getty Images/Newscom
Dogs: Like cats, dogs may be off the menu in China soon as the government considers a ban on cat and dog meat. Dog meat is a long-standing tradition in China and Korea. The change may be part of a larger movement to create tougher legislation for animal welfare. In Mehrauli, India, stray dogs and pigs look for food by a garbage bin on the streets. Mary Knox Merrill/Staff
Foie gras: Made from duck and goose liver, foie gras requires that the bird be force-fed. Meaning 'fat liver,' the desired fattening is achieved through force-feeding corn, though outside of France it is occasionally produced with natural feeding. Foie gras can be traced back to 2500 BC with the ancient Egyptians, and in the US, Chicago briefly banned the dish, and California has passed a law making foie gras illegal in 2012. M. Spencer Green/AP
Pork: Pork is prohibited by both Jewish and Islamic dietary laws. In early January, an Israeli Jew and cardiologist Dr. Eli Landau launched the nation's first cookbook for pork. With the emergence of swine flu, or the H1N1 flu virus, the pork industry took a hit when people became more cautious about eating the meat. There was no correlation however between people eating properly cooked pork products and becoming inflected with swine flu. Afghanistan's only known pig, Khanzir, eats at the Kabul Zoo in November. Oleg Popov/Reuters
Cows: Here, a woman feeds a cow in Jodhpur, India. For Hindus, the cow is a sacred symbol, and their slaughter is prohibited in all but two states in India. In the US, critics of the beef industry decry the treatment of the cattle and what they are fed. Free-range beef and grass-fed beef are thought to be better for the animals, and feeding them grass leads to a much leaner product and is viewed as more healthy and ecologically sustainable. Newscom
Lamb: Lamb is the meat of a sheep in its first year and is featured often in Mediterranean diets. A Norwegian dish traditionally features a boiled sheep's head. Called Smalahove, people in Norway often eat it around Christmas. The dish used to be eaten mostly by poor people, but is now considered a delicacy. In Sankt Gallen, Switzerland, a lamb stands with its mother in an enclosure at the Olma agriculture and food fair in October. Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters
Public health experts around the nation — and the restaurant and soft-drink industry — will be watching closely to see whether the new restrictions on supersized colas, adopted Thursday by the city's Board of Health, lead to changes in the way New Yorkers eat and drink.
Over a decade, New York City has outlawed smoking in bars and offices, banned trans fats, and forced fast-food restaurants to list calorie counts on their menus.
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