To be blunt, 2020 has not started off very well when it comes to public discussion of animal agriculture. First, the Golden Globes went vegan to raise awareness about meat consumption and the environment (never mind all of the private jet flights celebs took to get to the awards).

Then 60 Minutes aired a segment about antibiotic use in pork production that indicated the industry must have something to hide. It’s probably not surprising that Hollywood made a misguided statement against animal ag, or that the media didn’t tell the whole story.

However, I was pretty surprised by one news story from the beginning of 2020 – Panera announcing its plans to drop meat from half of its menu.

According to Panera’s CEO, this move is “better for you, and better for the world, and better for the environment, and better for animals.” That’s quite a proclamation, and having a sizeable, nationwide brand making such a decision should certainly get our attention. Panera says this shift is in response to consumer demand, but with 2019 per capita meat consumption up nearly 5 pounds over 2018 – and 2020 projected to be even higher – that seems hard to believe. My guess is that Panera thinks this policy may give them an edge with a certain demographic of consumer they are trying to court, regardless of whether it actually is “better” for anyone or anything. It is certainly not better for consumer choice.

It’s important for us to take this as a reminder of the influence of consumer-facing brands. Their decisions have a direct impact on both public perception of meat production and the way we do business. Other companies may be eyeing the stories about Panera and wondering if they should follow suit, and we need to make sure they have all the relevant information at hand (such as that animal ag is responsible for only around 4 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and is committed to being increasingly efficient and lowering that even further).

The conversation around animal ag and the environment is far from over, and I anticipate it will only heat up in 2020. Let’s all make sure our perspective is heard, from the boardroom to the headlines to the hashtags.

Panera dropping half the meat from its menu – could others follow suit?

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