The Environmental Working Group disputes Tyson's "climate-smart" claims
of ConsumerAffairsAn environmental and consumer organization hasfiled a lawsuitchallenging Tyson Foods' claims that its industrial meat production will reach "net-zero" greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The Environmental Working Group also targets Tysons claim that it produces climate-smart beef. EWG is represented byAnimal Legal Defense Fund.
"Consumers are increasingly making purchasing decisions with their climate footprint in mind. Tyson is exploiting this trend by making outrageous and unsubstantiated claims about its sustainability efforts that simply dont hold up under scrutiny," EWG said in a statement.
Industrialized meat production generates tremendous volumes of climate-warming emissions at every stage of the process, from deforestation and overgrazing to feed production, and from cattle and manure emissions to slaughter and distribution, EWG's suit argues.
It says industrial beef has a larger climate footprint than any other major food product. Tyson, the second largest meat company in the U.S.,produces about 20 percent of U.S. beef, chicken and pork and, the suit says, has green housegas emissions that exceed those of Austria or Greece.
Its beef production is responsible for 85 percent of the companys emissions.
Despite the enormous scale of Tysons emissions, the company has been promoting a commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and for over a year, it has marketed climate-smart beef.
As the lawsuit alleges, Tysons 2022 annual revenues exceed $53 billion, and yet its spending on GHG reduction practices is less than $50 million dollars, which amounts to less than 0.1 percent of its revenue. Tyson spends abouteight times as much on advertising as it does on research, EWG said.
The lawsuit seeks to stop Tyson from continuing to make these unsubstantiated environmental claims. The groups are calling for Tyson to retract its misleading statements and to be held accountable for violating consumer protection laws.
A beef-hungry nation
Beef is no small matter in the United States.The average American consumes about 57 pounds of beef per person per year, based on the latest available data from 2019. That's considerably higher than the global average of 19.8 pounds per year.
All that beef has a big environmental cost, including:
Greenhouse gas emissions
-
Beef production accounts for a large share of greenhouse gas emissions, primarily through methane released by cattle and deforestation for grazing land.
-
A single cow can produce between 154 to 264 pounds of methane gas per year.
-
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with a warming potential significantly higher than carbon dioxide over a shorter timeframe.
Water pollution
-
Runoff from feedlots and pastures can contaminate waterways with manure, antibiotics, and other pollutants.
-
This can lead to algal blooms, oxygen depletion, and harm to aquatic life.
Air pollution
-
Livestock operations release ammonia and other pollutants into the air, contributing to smog and respiratory problems.
Photo Credit: Consumer Affairs News Department Images
Posted: 2024-09-18 16:35:52
