Friends of Animals is all in on exposing the unethical and obscene practices of the meat and dairy industries. The US Beef Checkoff Program and its tremendous efforts to keep Americans addicted to meat takes the cake.

The US Beef Checkoff Program, an industry-funded marketing and “research” program designed to increase domestic and international demand for beef, was introduced within the 1985 Farm Bill. It levies a tax of $1 per head on animals slaughtered—paid by producers (but also passed on to consumers as externality-type costs).

At least half of each dollar is funneled into the Cattleman’s Beef Promotion and Research Board. They’ve collected more than 1 billion dollars between 1987 and 2013 and have spent $30-40 million on single advertising projects that are basically wide-scale psychological operations used to keep Americans hooked on meat. For example, they launched the “What’s for dinner? Beef.” campaign.

Much of their efforts are focused on “next gen” consumers, like children and millennials. Its disturbing they’ve created “beef education” and infiltrated classrooms with it. New York is a participant in these propaganda programs disguised as education. The industry has even partnered with and infiltrated the National Little League and colleges across the nation.

Fiscal Year 2025 consumer education initiatives include:

· Extending nationally developed beef resources, including It’s What’s For Dinner. brand assets through targeted regional digital and social marketing campaigns.

· Supporting collegiate-level athletic programs and further beef resource distribution among coaching staff, team dietitians, athletes and fans.

· Foster relationships with influential retail and foodservice partners through the involvement of targeted retail and foodservice events, promotions, conferences, trainings and immersive on-farm experiences.

What a disgrace and waste of money.

This board of sadist-carnists also ensures that they are devoting dollars to suppress “anti-beef” organizations.

Well, we’re wired for confrontation and will never be silenced or stop advocating for a vegan society.

Corruption and lie construction = health destruction

Censorship and corruption is just par for the course when it comes to the meat industry, especially when you have the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) controlled by the meat and dairy industry.

Marion Nestle, who worked on the editorial production of the Surgeon General’s Report on Nutrition and Health in the 1980s, recalls that she was given clear rules: “No matter what the research indicated, the report could not recommend “eat less meat” to reduce intake of saturated fat. When released in 1988, the Surgeon General’s Report recommended people “choose lean meats.”

Big beef has recently hired a doctor to put together a video on the health benefits of meat. Interestingly, that very same doctor wrote a health-recipe book full of vegan and vegetarian recipes.

The USDA and Health and Human Services (HHS) work together to update and release the Dietary Guidelines for Americans every five years. Dietary guidelines committee members have received grants from the National Live Stock and Meat Board, served on the grant review committee for the American Meat Institute and have had their research supported by the National Dairy Council.

There is also a revolving door through which beef industry and USDA workers frequently rotate through. Dale Moore, chief of staff to Ann Veneman, the secretary of agriculture, was formerly the executive director for legislative affairs of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

Deputy Secretary James Moseley co-owned a large factory farm in Indiana. USDA director of communications Alisa Harrison used to be NCBA’s executive director of public relations, while NCBA’s former president, JoAnn Smith, got appointed as chief of USDA’s Food Marketing and Inspection Division.

Turning animals into consumer goods is a way of life for these people. Unfortunately they aren’t going away, but consumers don’t have to be manipulated by them. They can ignore Beef Checkoff’s pathetic efforts to bring beef to the forefront and position it as one of the world’s most desirable proteins.

Consumers can educate themselves about getting protein from plant-based vegan food, and feel good about not contributing to the animal cruelty inherent in animal farming.

No one needs to eat meat any more than we need the industry’s cringe marketing content crammed down our throats.

Gabe Ahmed is director of development for Friends of Animals.