In recent years, animal rights extremist organizations have been seemingly focused just as much on raising concern about the environmental impact of animal agriculture as they have on animal welfare. It’s easy to see why: Their decades of campaigning for everyone to “go vegan” and spreading misinformation on how animals are raised hasn’t gotten them very far. According to the 2023 Power of Meat study, meat purchases are higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic, and 98% of American households purchase meat.

While they haven’t managed to turn people away from eating meat, they have been able to impact the meat community through the passage of legislation and adoption of commitments by restaurant, retail and foodservice brands placing restrictions on things like housing practices and antibiotic use. This is part of the “incremental changes” strategy to slowly make raising animals for food unsustainable by driving up costs and reducing efficiencies. We’re starting to see this approach applied to sustainability policies, and the meat community would be smart to pay attention.

Animal rights extremists are capitalizing on the fact that most people care about the planet and want to do their part to protect it (just as they care about animals). Combine this with the fact that the majority of people don’t have a lot of connection to or knowledge about modern animal agriculture, and it makes a perfect opportunity to spread misinformation. Activists have latched onto this, from releasing extreme documentaries like "Cowspiracy" to groups like 50x40 being heavily involved with the United Nations Food Systems Summit.

And now, they’re influencing restaurant, retail and foodservice brands to make sourcing policies in the name of sustainability. Earlier this year, IKEA announced plans to remove dairy from its menu by 2030 as part of its “People and Planet Positive” sustainability plan. This month, foodservice leader Sodexo committed to a 50% plant-based menu by 2025 for its campus division (in partnership with the Humane Society of the United States, of course).

Hoping to continue the trend, HSUS just released the newest version of its Protein Sustainability Scorecard, which ranks foodservice companies on their sustainability policies. HSUS considers foodservice companies to be “actually committed to their social responsibility of protecting the environment” if they are “adding more plant-based options to their menus and thereby reducing the volume of animal products prepared and sold."

If we want to keep meat on the menu, which the vast majority of consumers want as well, we need to be just as aggressive in sharing meat’s positive sustainability story with our customers and helping them navigate the pressure they’re under. Resources like the Protein PACT and the Alliance’s Sustainability Impact Report (just updated in celebration of Earth Day) are available to help have these conversations. And if your company isn’t already issuing an annual sustainability report, I’d strongly suggest beginning to do so.

Latest round of 'sustainability' commitments a concern for meat

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