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Diving overview:
- Tyson Foods will stop saying it can reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and stop using climate-friendly labels on its beef as part of an agreement with the Environmental Working Group.
- Under the deal, the meat giant will stop making climate-related claims for five years. Tyson also will not refrain from selling beef labeled “climate smart” or introduce new environmental claims without expert support.
- “The settlement decision was made to avoid the cost and confusion of ongoing litigation and does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing,” a Tyson spokesperson told Food Dive.
Dive Insights:
Meat processors have faced increasing scrutiny over the years regarding their emissions targets, especially as they began marketing their products as “climate friendly.” Beef was targeted because it has one of the greatest environmental impacts of all foods, according to the United Nations.
JBS, the world’s largest beef producer, said earlier this month it would stop making certain climate-related claims to resolve a separate lawsuit with the New York attorney general’s office. The Brazil-based company agreed to pay $1.1 million and will stop claiming it will reach net-zero emissions by 2040. JBS and Tyson together account for 50% of the beef consumed in the United States.
Environmental groups claim there is no technology available to reduce methane or nitrous oxide emissions found in beef as manure or by-products of the digestion process. Cows emit methane, which is more powerful than carbon dioxide.
According to EPA estimates, about 3 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions come from methane in cow trim. Beef production accounts for 85% of Tyson’s greenhouse gas emissions, exceeding levels in countries including Austria and Greece, according to EWG.
“This settlement reinforces the principle that consumers deserve honesty and accountability from the companies that shape our food system,” Caroline Leary, EWG’s general counsel and chief operating officer, said in a statement. “The results clearly show that corporate climate pledges must be transparent, verifiable and rooted in real change.”
Tyson’s Climate Smart Beef Program, introduced in 2022, was the company’s most significant investment in sustainability at that time, according to a company report. The program aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging ranchers to adopt climate-smart agricultural practices while investing in research.
“Tyson Foods has long-held core values that serve as stewards of the lands, animals and resources entrusted to us,” a spokesperson told Food Dive. “We take a comprehensive, holistic approach to increase operational efficiency, identify opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across our supply chain, and work with stakeholders to create a more resilient food system.”
EWG filed a lawsuit against the meat giant in 2024, alleging that climate-smart labels misled consumers into paying a premium for products they believed were potentially better for the environment. EWG argues that Tyson cannot reduce cow belching or poop without eliminating the animals themselves, making the company’s net-zero goals impossible to achieve.
Environmental groups are increasingly relying on the courts to file regulatory delays, according to Kelsey Eberly, a senior attorney at FarmSTAND who represented EWG in its lawsuit against Tyson.
“At a time when climate-oriented policies are enduring existential assault, legal action like this is increasingly important to raise consumer awareness of the devastating impact large corporations like Tyson are having on our climate,” she said in a statement.
