U.S. Food Companies Need To Commit Strongly To Non-Deforestation Beef

A report by a group of scientists who examined U.S. food companies that sourced beef from South America found that 13 of them had no deforestation-free policies or procedures in place. Beef production is the main  contributor to tropical deforestation worldwide, predominantly in South America, and especially in the Amazon rain forest. It’s not easy to guarantee that beef comes from non-deforestation companies, however, because cattle can be shifted from ranch to ranch to meat packer, making it difficult to monitor. But the Union of Concerned Scientists says food companies should work with meatpackers, ranchers, and the government to develop a plan to end beef industry deforestation practices. U.S. companies rated on the strength of their deforestation policies in the report include Mars, McDonald’s, Walmart, Nestlė, Hormel, Wendy’s, Jack Links, Subway, Burger King, ConAgra, Kroger, Safeway and Pizza Hut.