The American Heart Association is doing a great disservice to people, not to mention the treatment of animals in agriculture. We are calling for the organization to end these misleading paid endorsements and reimburse consumers deceived by this deceptive marketing.
POLLY FOREMAN: Animal Outlook has filed a lawsuit against the American Heart Association (AHA) over its use of Heart-Check labels on certain meat products. American Heart Association is a large non-profit organization based in Dallas, Texas. It’s been in operation since 1924 and is focused on cardiovascular health. It’s been alleged that the AHA has been taking payment from meat companies in exchange for its “heart healthy” product certifications.
The lawsuit also alleges that the AHA promotes its Heart-Check certification program as more stringent than the government’s to certify beef. But actually, Animal Outlook maintains it only uses the government’s minimum standards. Animal Outlook has stated that the AHA’s decision to label certain meats as heart-healthy goes against its previous statements on the matter… A number of beef and pork products have been certified with the Heart-Check label, including Smithfield Boneless Pork Sirloin Roast and Black Steer Brand Angus Roast Beef Top Round…
Animal Outlook sent a letter to the AHA late last year asking the organization to stop certifying these products as heart-healthy in exchange for a fee, but it refused to do so. Animal Outlook’s Cheryl Leahy stated: “In our minds, the American Heart Association is doing a great disservice to the people whose health they have worked so diligently for nearly a century to protect, not to mention the treatment of animals in agriculture, and we are calling for the organization to end these misleading paid endorsements and reimburse consumers deceived by this deceptive marketing.”
The organization pointed out that, as recently as August 1, 2022, an official peer-reviewed journal published on behalf of AHA recognized that “higher meat intake [is] associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease [ASCVD].” The AHA has also stated that “in general, red meats (such as beef, pork, and lamb) have more saturated fat” than other protein sources, and that “saturated fats can raise your blood cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease.”
“There are layers of problems and deceptions here,” Animal Outlook’s Leahy told Plant Based News. “If you’re a consumer and you go to the store and you see this, there is no way that you’d believe that a well respected and well-known charity would be anything but focused on the science and the facts of whether something actually comports with their mission as a charity”. SOURCE…
RELATED VIDEOS: