Tyson Foods, one of the largest producers in the meat industry, is causing a nationwide uproar as consumers find out just how negatively the company’s production methods are impacting the environment. They have been dumping a tremendous amount of waste into America’s waterways, and now we’re all paying for it. From the Chesapeake Bay to the Mississippi River and down to the Gulf of Mexico, waterways are becoming completely polluted. These pollutants include fertilizer runoff, manure, and other toxic waste from their processing plants. A recent study showed that from 2010 to 2014, Tyson Foods dumped a total of 104 million pounds of pollutants into waterways. 20 million pounds of that waste was produced in 2014 alone. Because of all these pollutants, the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest that it has ever been. Not only is this water pollution affecting ocean life, but it is now starting to affect the quality of our drinking water as well.
Due to the overwhelming amount of damage that Tyson Foods is causing to the environment, global campaign organization Mighty Earth has created the #CleanItUpTyson campaign urging Tyson Foods to adopt more sustainable practices. The campaign has gained popularity throughout the country, with many universities and local organizations spreading the hashtag around social media and signing petitions to send to the CEO of Tyson Foods. The petition urges Tom Hayes, the CEO of Tyson Foods, to uphold his promise of focusing the company’s production strategies around sustainability. If you’re interested in being a part of the change, check out the ways that you can help down below! We only have one Earth, let’s do all we can to keep it healthy and thriving!
What Can You Do To Help?
- Take action & sign the online petition
- Take photos with campaign signs and share them on social media with the hashtag #CleanItUpTyson
- Consider reducing or eliminating consumption of Tyson products
Together, we can force Tyson Foods to take responsibility for their actions and start implementing better production habits that help the Earth, rather than destroy it.