A new lawsuit in New York claims that one of the world’s largest beef producers has been misleading the public about its efforts to curb deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against JBS USA Food Company and JBS USA Food Company Holdings for misrepresenting plans to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. In reality, the company lacks concrete sustainability calculations and even plans to expand operations, the lawsuit claims. “JBS Group and JBS USA have used greenwashing and misleading statements to capitalize on consumers’ increasing desire to make environmentally friendly choices,” the attorney general’s office said in a statement. The lawsuit cites numerous instances in which the company’s claims to the public didn’t align with what was happening behind closed doors. Its website and advertisements have boasted claims about reaching net-zero carbon emissions while company executives were making plans to grow. During industry presentations, they allegedly said conveying an interest in the environment was a strategy for maintaining control of the food market. In April 2021, the company ran a full-page ad in the New York Times with claims about cutting emissions, and made similar promises to an audience at a Climate Week event last September, the lawsuit said. In other instances, it allegedly promised to cut emissions by 30% by 2030. Cattle in Los Lagos, Chile. Photo by Molly Condit via We Animals Media (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). JBS told Mongabay it disagrees with the attorney general’s office and takes its…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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