Tyson Agrees to Drop ‘Climate-Smart Beef’ and ‘Net Zero’ Claims in Settlement

Tyson Foods this week agreed to not sell “climate smart” beef or make “net zero” claims for the next five years as part of a settlement of a lawsuit filed by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), according to various news reports.

The lawsuit accused Tyson of “greenwashing,” making false or misleading marketing claims toward being more environmentally friendly, and was filed in 2024. EWG called out Tyson for claiming it would reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and that it produces “climate-smart” beef. EWG claimed that Tyson never defined the parameters or definition for “climate-smart beef,” or how it was measuring GHG reductions — and accused the meat processor of not actually having a plan to achieve the net-zero goals it developed.

In September 2023, Tyson launched Brazen Beef — a brand formed with Schweid & Sons to provide “climate friendly” ground beef products to specific retailers in the Northeast. Brazen Beef, Tyson said at the time, came about as a result of the company’s multi-year Climate-Smart Beef Program, which aimed to measure and reduce GHG emissions.

Tyson now is prevented from making those environmental claims for five years, but it also cannot introduce any new ones “unless they are supported by expert analysis and verified facts,” EWG said. Tyson said the settlement does not represent any admission of wrongdoing.

Tyson is just the latest mega meatpacker to reach a settlement in a lawsuit alleging misleading environmental claims. JBS USA had been accused of similar greenwashing actions by New York attorney general Letitia James in 2024 — a lawsuit that was settled earlier this month, when JBS USA agreed to stop making those claims and pay $1.1 million for N.Y. agriculture programs to help farmers reduce emissions.