Earlier this year, I predicted that “sustainability” would be the word of the year for 2020, as news like the Golden Globes’ vegan menu and Panera declaring its intentions to cut 50% of meat from its menu, both said to be in the name of saving the environment, captured our attention. That changed in March when the COVID-19 pandemic altered the world dramatically, including how we shop for and think about food. As the meat industry, along with our restaurant and retail partners worked to adapt to an ever-changing situation, many conversations shifted to food availability above any other attributes, including sustainability.

Over the past few weeks, sustainability has re-emerged as a hot topic. Burger King dropped a commercial (featuring the “Walmart yodeling kid” who went viral back in 2018) promoting research the company supported regarding the use of lemongrass in cows’ diets, which it claimed reduces methane emissions by up to 33%. While Burger King’s interest in sustainable beef and animal agriculture as a solution to climate change should be applauded, the commercial and campaign are less-than-accurate depictions of agriculture and exaggerate beef’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions (the press release states that cattle are responsible for around 14% of GHG emissions, which is a global number from the UN — much higher than the 3% number for U.S. beef production, due to our efficient systems).

UC Davis’ Frank Mitloehner, among others, was quick to offer a few corrections regarding the lemongrass research and emissions from cattle on social media which led to Burger King reaching out to him to ask him to work with them moving forward along with changing the current campaign. Michelle Miller, an Iowa farmer known online as “The Farm Babe,” also captured Burger King’s attention with her reactions to the ad. She was able to have a productive discussion with the company’s chief marketing officer and plans to host members of the marketing team on her farm next month.

This scenario illustrates the value of using tools like social media to correct the narrative about meat production. By respectfully engaging and sharing perspectives (rather than calling for boycotts), key voices were able to reach a major company and have meaningful discussions about the shared goal of producing sustainable food. We should be prepared for a continued need to engage on this issue, with the UN posting a tweet over the weekend saying “the meat industry is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the world’s biggest oil companies” and calling for followers to “act now” and eat less meat to protect the planet.

Sustainability is back at the center of the plate, and the issues of the past few months have many of our adversaries renewing their calls for an overhauled food system without animal agriculture. We can’t afford to sit out of the conversation, despite other challenges competing for our attention. Now is the time to position animal agriculture as part of the climate solution and make sure meat remains on the menu.

Sustainability back at the center of the plate

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