Truth in food labeling is important for consumers. We know the food system is responsible for as much as one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions and is a leading driver of biodiversity loss. That’s why the Center for Biological Diversity started our Extinction Facts food labeling campaign. Now the uptick in foods labeled “climate friendly” and “sustainable” is tricking people into spending more money on products that cause harm — like any output of industrial animal agriculture. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture needs to help put a stop to it.
The Center is calling on the USDA to step in. The agency’s Food Safety and Inspection Service recently updated its guideline for claims about animal welfare and the environment. We think the guidance should include requirements for food producers to use independent, science-based third-party verification before animal or environmental claims in labeling are approved. In other words: Prove it.
Right now the updated guideline lets producers define the claims on their own food labels. Third-party certification is optional. Documentation is weak. And all that allows advertisers to manipulate shoppers with vague and misleading claims that products are “carbon neutral” or produced “regeneratively.” Even beef — by far the worst food choice for the climate — is labeled “climate friendly.”
One recent analysis found that 85% of label claims lacked meaningful substantiation. That not only harms consumers and the environment but also food producers who are doing the right thing and producing food in ways that protect wildlife and promote biodiversity.
The USDA should disallow vague and undefined terms and make third-party, on-site certification mandatory — not optional. Terms like “sustainably farmed,” “regeneratively raised,” “carbon neutral,” and “environmentally responsible” are currently so nebulous that they serve no clear purpose beyond sales.
Environmental claims should, at a minimum, come with mandatory evidence-based data, including the net climate impact of the producer’s entire operation using a lifecycle assessment analysis, as well as documented impacts on biodiversity.
You can speak up on this issue by contacting the USDA. Demand that this top U.S. food and agriculture agency protect consumers and the planet with stronger labeling standards. We can’t meet biodiversity goals or build the world we envision while our government keeps busy rubberstamping misinformation.
Tell the USDA you support strong, clear labeling regulations so consumers can make informed choices.
For the wild,
