Summary
This article, supported by the 11th Hour Project, describes the lengths the beef industry has taken to change the narratives on beef production’s role in the climate crisis by swaying public opinion and influencing policy decisions through a complex and robust public relations (PR) campaign. In particular, this article highlights the beef industry’s use of an advocacy program that trains influencers to spread misleading narratives about beef production’s sustainability and the health benefits tied to beef consumption. The result is an intentional PR tactic to create confusion about the real environmental and health impacts of meat consumption. Additionally, according to the article, a digital command center which is staffed 24 hours, seven days a week, helps the industry monitor news stories and social media regarding beef and meat industry related topics. The industry then uses this information to counter any negative media coverage using tactics such as funding scientific studies and placing op-eds in major publications meant to manipulate the discourse on meat. In general, the article details how the beef industry’s PR messaging machine works to discredit credible evidence on beef (un)sustainability and consumption, and minimize their role in these issues by misdirecting attention away from them and shifting it onto individual consumers.