PETA

© PETA

Society

PETA Warns US Meat Companies to Learn from Mistakes of Tobacco Farmers and “Get Out Now!”

PETA is urging five major US meat companies—Hormel Foods, Cargill, Smithfield Foods, Tyson Foods, and Oscar Mayer—to shift their focus from animal-based products to vegan alternatives, following the example set by one of Italy’s oldest meat producers, Gruppo Tonazzo. Gruppo Tonazzo recently announced that it will stop selling meat entirely and concentrate solely on plant-based products. Albino Tonazzo, CEO of the company’s plant-based brand Kioene, explained that the shift is motivated by a “deep responsibility to future generations” and a commitment to environmental preservation. In letters sent to the CEOs of the US companies, PETA noted the growing consumer demand for plant-based foods and the environmental and ethical concerns associated with animal agriculture. The group explained that all five companies have already introduced vegan products …

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©Planterra Foods

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

From Beef to Beans: When Big Meat Enters Plant-Based in the Americas, Part One

The entrance of Big Meat into the plant-based category was nothing short of inevitable when the food industry began to realize both the huge potential of alternative foods as well as the future limitations on the planet’s capacity to “grow” animals for human consumption. Back in 2019, the New York Times highlighted the fact that Big Meat (with this particular article focusing on Tyson, Smithfield, Perdue, and Hormel) was beginning to gain a foothold in the plant-based category. And last year, Yahoo Finance declared: “The meat industry is going through major upheavals. For example, a dramatic rise in the number of consumers preferring vegetarian food has forced companies to develop plant-based meat products.” Whether the animal meat industry indeed had its hand “forced” by the …

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pig swine flu

©[email protected]

Society

Smithfield Foods Sioux Falls Pork Processing Plant Closed Until Further Notice Due to Coronavirus Outbreak

According to AP.com, Smithfield Foods announced Sunday that it had closed its pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, until further notice after hundreds of employees tested positive for the coronavirus. The announcement came a day after South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken urged the company to suspend operations for 14 days so its workers could self-isolate and the plant could be disinfected.

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©Beyond Meat

Market & Trends

The Competition Grows as Consumer Demand for Plant-Based Meat Increases

As reported by Reuters, the success of California-based Beyond Meat has prompted a growing number of companies to enter the plant-based meat alternative market. With the ever-increasing demand from consumers to reduce their meat consumption due to health concerns, animal welfare, and environmental issues, these companies hope to carve out a space for their products in the competitive vegan meat aisle.

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