Gwyneth Paltrow Put on Blast for ‘Humane’ Meat Claim

PETA Urges Star Not to Spread Misinformation—All Meat Comes From Abused Animals Who Didn’t Want to Die

For Immediate Release:
April 22, 2020

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

As the world battles a deadly virus that originated in animals who are killed for their flesh, Gwyneth Paltrow posted an Instagram video in which she received a giant delivery of meat—and described it as coming from “humane” and “sustainable” farms—so PETA rushed a letter to the star this morning.

“Whether it’s the knee-high manure that dairy cows are forced to wade through, the lagoons filled with pig waste poisoning local communities, or the slime that’s dyed pink to make burgers after animal bones have been removed, animal agriculture across the board is defined by goop—and not the kind you should be associated with,” writes PETA’s Rachel Stotts in the letter to Paltrow.

PETA points out that animals on so-called “humane” farms are mutilated without painkillers, jabbed with electric prods, and sent to the very same slaughterhouses used by the worst suppliers, where they are hung upside down and their throats are cut as they cry out and struggle to escape. In addition, all animal agriculture fuels catastrophic climate change.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA’s letter to Paltrow follows.

Dear Gwyneth,

We were so disappointed that you unboxed a crate of what you called “humane, sustainable” meat on your Instagram story, as though there’s such a thing. Whether it’s the knee-high manure that dairy cows are forced to wade through, the lagoons filled with pig waste poisoning local communities, or the slime that’s dyed pink to make burgers after animal bones have been removed, animal agriculture across the board is defined by goop—and not the kind you should be associated with.

PETA investigations have exposed that “certified humane” products like eggs, meat, and milk still come from animals who were mutilated without painkillers, crammed into sheds with no sunlight or fresh air, jabbed with electric prods, and subjected to other horrors. Because animals are kept so packed together and stressed, animal farms and slaughterhouses are breeding grounds for new strains of dangerous bacteria and viruses—like H1N1 and those responsible for the COVID-19 and SARS pandemics—which threaten the health of every human on the planet. The Union of Concerned Scientists lists meat-eating as the second-biggest environmental hazard facing the Earth.

We know from a recent interview that you don’t eat baby animals or octopi, but adult cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, and other animals feel pain, fear, and joy just like they (and we) do and are just as deserving of your compassion. The only truly humane food is vegan food.

Millions of fans look to you for guidance on making choices that are healthy and environmentally sustainable. Please don’t do a disservice to them by propagating the fairytale of humane and sustainable meat.

With kind regards,

Rachel Stotts

Celebrity Relations Manager

PETA