PETA Asks Sen. Monning to Put Warning Labels On Meat, Not Just Soda

Group Points Out That Consuming Animal Flesh Also Contributes to Obesity and Diabetes—and Heart Disease and Cancer

For Immediate Release:
February 18, 2014

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Last week, California Sen. Bill Monning introduced a bill that would require soda and sugary drinks to have a warning label pointing to sugary beverages’ link to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. But as PETA points out in a letter sent to the legislator today, there’s another ubiquitous product that wreaks havoc on Americans’ health, and that’s meat. Pointing to meat consumption’s connection to obesity and diabetes as well as heart disease and cancer, PETA asks Monning to push for warning labels on all packages of meat sold in California.

“If shoppers were warned that eating what’s under the shrink-wrap can lead to obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, they’d think twice before grabbing that package of meat,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA hopes Senator Monning will take the trailblazing step of arming Californians with all the information they need to make healthy and humane choices every time they visit the grocery store.”

Meat, eggs, and dairy products don’t contain any fiber and are loaded with artery-clogging saturated animal fat and cholesterol. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, on average, vegetarians are less prone to developing heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer than meat-eaters are. A healthy, plant-based diet can even reverse the effects of heart disease in former meat-eaters—a fact that inspired former President Bill Clinton (a Democrat, just like Monning and bill co-author Sen. Darrell Steinberg) to go vegan, shed pounds, and improve his health.

Vegans don’t just save their own lives—they save more than 100 animals a year from immeasurable suffering on factory farms, in slaughterhouses, and on the decks of fishing boats.

PETA’s letter to Monning is available upon request. For more information, please visit PETA.org.