The animal rights group Animal Outlook has filed suit against the American Heart Association (AHA) for using its “Heart-Check” labels on certain meat products, according to a report by Plant Based News.
The lawsuit alleges the association has been receiving payments from meat companies in exchange for its “heart healthy” certifications.
“For nearly 100 years, the American Heart Association has made it its mission to educate consumers on healthy living. That’s why it is so incongruous that they are now selling these pay-to-play heart healthy certifications for the very meat products they have publicly taken a position against,” Executive Director of Animal Outlook Cheryl Leahy said in a statement.
The group claims that past AHA research has recognized higher meat intake as being associated with cardiovascular disease. Animal Outlook also emphasized the “inhumane toll” that meat production has on animals.
