Background
The Protein PACT (People, Animals, Climate, Together) is a U.S-led global meat sector initiative spearheaded by the U.S meat industry group the Meat Institute and launched in July 2021.1โUniting Feed and Animal Protein Production Through the Protein PACT,โ American Feed Industry Association, December 9, 2021. Archived July 22, 2025. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/qVhH3 Founding members include other powerful U.S meat industry groups including the Animal Agriculture Alliance and the National Pork Producers Council.2โWho we are,โ Protein PACT. Archived December 19, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/qSIt4
The Protein PACTโs 2021 pre-launch document states that the organisationโs mission is to โensure stakeholders, decision-makers, and ultimately consumers trust that meat, dairy, and eggs are part of solutions for diverse, healthy, sustainable dietsโ.3โRed Flag Consulting,โ DeSmog. Archived January 22, 2025. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/YMn7x
The Protein PACT takes a leading role in representing the meat sector at key climate fora such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) climate summits and New York Climate Weeks.4Comments from Eric Mittenthal at the Protein PACT 2024 Summit. Audio and transcript available on request at DeSmog. It has coordinated efforts with other groups to present meat as a โsolutionโ to climate change, and to discourage policymakers’ efforts to introduce binding regulations of the meat sector based on its emissions.5Rachel Sherrington. โBig Meat Unveils Battle Plans for COP28,โ DeSmog, November 29, 2023. Archived March 20, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/pGum3
In a presentation for the October 2023 Protein PACT Summit in San Diego, Melissa San Miguel, a lead consultant for the public relations company Red Flag, described how the Protein PACT โdeploys partner messaging and activates a wide range of diverse, respected expertsโ to โinform and persuade key audiencesโ including โglobal climate negotiators.โ6โCommunications updates, Protein PACT Summit, October 2023,โ North American Meat Institute, October 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archived February 21, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wsfHx,7โFeedlot Numbers Down but Plentiful Currently, Cow Country Report,โ Cattle Producers Of Louisiana, November 1, 2021. Archived February 8, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.is/JnTtp
The Protein PACT focuses on encouraging its members to set environmental targets and presents this as a pillar of its action on sustainability. However, targets set by its members do not require the absolute or ambitious reductions to livestock emissions that climate scientists say are needed in the short term to meet Paris Agreement goals.8โGoals & Progress,โ Protein PACT. Archived December 19, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/UVS4m, 9โOptions for a Paris-Compliant Livestock Sector,โ Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law & Policy Program Harvard Law School, March 2024. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
In a profile written about the organisation in 2023, the independent news outlet Sentient Media referred to the Protein PACT as โthe latest tactic to downplay meatโs climate impact.โ10Jenny Splitter. โWhat You Need to Know About the Meat Industry-Funded โProtein Pactโ,โ Sentient Media, September 19, 2023. Archived March 25, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/HyxHU It listed tactics including funding dieticians and social media influencers, and funding academic research to convince citizens of the necessity and sustainability of meat consumption.11Jenny Splitter. โWhat You Need to Know About the Meat Industry-Funded โProtein Pactโ,โ Sentient Media, September 19, 2023. Archived March 25, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/HyxHU
In counter to this view, the Protein PACTโs lead spokesperson, Eric Mittenthal, has argued that those calling for โdrastic reductionsโ in meat production are โnot supported by evidenceโ12โReflections on COP28,โ The Protein PACT, December 19, 2023. Archived July 29, 2025. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/zB2eJ and emphasised the PACTโs role in encouraging members to set targets and drive progress in areas such as sustainability, animal welfare and health.
Numerous scientific assessments have found that while voluntary action from industry โ such as through the introduction of new technologies and greater efficiencies โ can make a limited contribution to bringing down livestock emissions, these must be accompanied by significant reductions in meat-eating in most regions of the world in order to meet the temperature limits set out in the Paris Agreement.13Global Methane Assessment: Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions,โ Climate and Clean Air Coalition, 2021. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog. 14Harwatt et al., โOptions for a Paris-Compliant Livestock Sector,โ 2024.ย Harvard Law School Animal Law and Policy Program.ย Archived July 6, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 15Willet et al., โFood in the Anthropocene: the EATโLancetย Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems,โ The Lancet, 2019. DOI:ย 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
In addition to its members, the Protein PACT also has endorsements from a number of international groups representing the industry, including the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, Carni Sostenibli and European Livestock Voice. It receives communications assistance from the PR and lobbying firm Red Flag.16โWho we are,โ Protein PACT. Archived December 19, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/qSIt4, 17โFeedlot Numbers Down but Plentiful Currently, Cow Country Report,โ Cattle Producers Of Louisiana, November 1, 2021. Archived February 8, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.is/JnTtp, 18โWho we are,โ Protein PACT. Archived December 19, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/qSIt4, 19โFeedlot Numbers Down but Plentiful Currently, Cow Country Report,โ Cattle Producers Of Louisiana, November 1, 2021. Archived February 8, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.is/JnTtp, 20โNAMI: Animal agriculture organizations launch ambitious new Protein PACT,โ Pig333.com. Archived September 16, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iXdlg
Stance on climate change
The Protein PACT focuses on persuading consumers and other key stakeholders that the meat industry is environmentally friendly.
For example, its launch document states: โAnimal protein and feed producers and processors must urgently articulate a compelling case for how choosing meat, dairy, and eggs aligns with” values such as sustainability.21โProtein-PACT launch two pager for partners,โ Protein PACT, 2021. Archived August 21, 2021. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
A summary of the initial plan for the Protein PACT, shared in a November 2021 newsletter from the state-sponsored industry group the Cattle Producers of Louisiana, stated the PACTโs goal to make sure โconsumers feel as good and justified in choosing to eat meat as non-meat-eaters feel about their dietary choices.”22โFeedlot Numbers Down but Plentiful Currently, Cow Country Report,โ Cattle Producers Of Louisiana, November 1, 2021. Archived February 8, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.is/JnTtp
However, as detailed below, the Protein PACT does not promote absolute emissions targets for livestock that scientists say are needed to meet climate goals and avoid dangerous tipping points.23Dan Blaustein-Rejto and Chris Gambino, โLivestock Donโt Contribute 14.5% of Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions,โ The Breathrough Institute, March 20, 2023. Archived July 22, 2025. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/hRPzY
As well as being the leading driver of deforestation, which is destroying key carbon sinks, the livestock industry produces an estimated 12-20 percent of global carbon emissions.24 โLivestock Donโt Contribute 14.5% of Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions,โ The Breakthrough Institute. Archived July 28, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/hRPzY It is also responsible for 32 percent of the world’s methane, a potent greenhouse gas which is responsible for a third of man-made global warming to date. 25Global Methane Assessment: Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions,โ Climate and Clean Air Coalition, 2021. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
Weak targets
The Protein PACT positions voluntary reporting, measurement, and target-setting as a crucial part of its work on the environment. However, targets set by the group and its members contain notable loopholes and do not necessitate significant overall cuts to emissions.26โThe Protein PACT: 2025 and Beyond,โ YouTube, Meat Institute Channel, November 22, 2024. Archived .mp3 available at DeSmog.
The environmental reporting the Protein PACT asks from its members does not include any need to reduce methane, which the livestock sector drives around a third of and scientists say must be cut by 40 – 45 percent to reach Paris goals.27Global Methane Assessment: Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions,โ Climate and Clean Air Coalition, 2021. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
Nor do they require a reduction in Scope 3 emissions. These emissions โ which are the emissions generated from a companyโs supply chain overall โ make up more than 90 percent of most major meat and dairy companiesโ climate footprints.28โThe New Merchants of Doubt: How Big Meat and Dairy Avoid Climate Action,โ Changing Markets Foundation, 2024. Archived May 2, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
A 2024 survey of more than 200 climate scientists found that the livestock sector will need to reduce emissions in absolute terms by 61 percent by 2036.[27]
The Protein PACT does not appear to have a headline target of its own. However its website advertises the target of the Protein PACTโs lead partner, the Meat Institute, is that โ100% of NAMI general members will have delivered an approved Science-Based Target to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Climate Agreement goalsโ.29โBuilding from Transparent Baselines: 2023 Continuous Improvement Report,โ North American Meat Institute and Protein PACT, October 2023. Archived November 10, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/pHTm3
The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), which NAMIโs members will measure targets by,30โThe New Merchants of Doubt: How Big Meat and Dairy Avoid Climate Action,โ Changing Markets Foundation, 2024. Archived May 2, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. contains significant loopholes for food companies in its guidance. These include allowing companies to count offset towards company emissions goals, which means accreditation by the body does not guarantee that food companies will make significant reductions.31โCorporate Climate Responsibility Monitor 2024,โ New Climate, April 9, 2024. Archived March 25, 2025. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog., 32Joe Fassler. โResearch Undermines Claims that Soil Carbon Can Offset Livestock Emissions,โ DeSmog, February 1, 2024. Archived June 2, 2025. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Tuc7Z
The Protein PACT website also advertises a target from the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, which states the U.S. beef supply chain has committed by 2040 to achieving โclimate neutralityโ.33โGoals & Progress,โ Protein PACT. Archived March 25, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/UVS4m
This term is associated with the GWP* metric, a method which focuses on new and growing sources of methane instead of the worldโs steady and largest emitters, which use it to claim โclimate neutralityโ while only marginally reducing emissions.34Rachel Sherrington and Hazel Healy. โA Guide to Six Greenwashing Terms Big Ag Is Bringing to COP28,โ DeSmog, September 21, 2023. Archived March 16, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/1P57A, 35Zach Boren. โHow the beef is industry is trying to change the maths of climate change,โ Unearthed, September 3, 2022. Archived March 28, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/CHO2n Climate scientists have said the meat industry is misleadingly applying the metric to claim less responsibility for its emissions footprint.36Joe Fassler. โThe Livestock Industryโs โClimate Neutralโ Claims Are Too Good To Be True,โ DeSmog, December 14, 2023. Archived March 14, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/auqNs, 37Rachel Sherrington. โIndustry -Backed Emissions Metric Could โCompletely Derailโ Climate Action, Campaigners Warn,โ DeSmog, December 6, 2024. Archived February 28, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/G5TKd
In 2023, the Protein PACTโs lead spokesperson, Eric Mittenthal, argued that those calling for โdrastic reductionsโ in meat production are โnot supported by evidenceโ.38โReflections on COP28,โ The Protein PACT, December 19, 2023. Archived July 29, 2025. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/zB2eJ In 2021, the EAT-Lancet Commission into sustainable diets found โ we should cuts in meat consumption by 50 percent globally โ and in all but two regions of the world โ in order to feed a growing population while respecting planetary boundaries.39Willet et al., โFood in the Anthropocene: the EATโLancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems,โ The Lancet, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
A 2024 survey of more than 200 climate experts found that a majority said animal herds should decrease from the year 2025, driven by reductions to herds in high and middle income countries. 40Harwatt et al., โOptions for a Paris-Compliant Livestock Sector,โ 2024. Harvard Law School Animal Law and Policy Program. Archived July 6, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
Communication strategies and key audiences
The Protein PACTโs representatives say the group is not a โcommunications strategyโ and prefers to describe itself as a โcontinuous improvementโ strategy via its reporting and target-setting.41Nina Dater. โProtein Pact. Presentation Global Conference on Sustainable Beef, Denver, Colorado,โ Red Flag Consulting, November 7, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/clZMo
However, the Protein PACTโs founder, the Meat Instituteโs Chief Strategy Officer, Eric Mittenthal, has clarified that target-setting efforts contribute to a broader narrative role. He states that reporting and target-setting efforts feed into an โindustry-wide storytelling effort.โ42Kimberly Clima, โIn Protein we Trust,โ Meat + Poultry, November 21, 2021. Archived January 25, 2025. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/2Bz0j
Overall, the Protein PACT strongly emphasises on its narrative-setting role, explicitly working to convey its key messages. The PR firm Red Flag helps the initiative to communicate industry talking points to decision-makers, academics, influencers, and other audiences.
At the Global Conference on Sustainable Beef in Denver, Colorado, in November 2022, Red Flag Account Manager Nina Dater described how Red Flag was โambitiously positioning NAMI, Protein PACT and Protein PACT leaders as thought leadersโ to โthose who influence policy, science, media, health professionals and our broader industry community.โ43Nina Dater. โProtein Pact. Presentation Global Conference on Sustainable Beef, Denver, Colorado,โ Red Flag Consulting, November 7, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/clZMo
More details on key target audiences and messaging strategies deployed by the PACT and Red Flag are outlined below.
Young consumers
A summary of the initial communications plan for the Protein PACT, shared in a November 2021 newsletter from the industry group, the Cattle Producers of Louisiana, shared that the Protein PACT was working with influencers in order to reach younger consumers.44โFeedlot Numbers Down but Plentiful Currently, Cow Country Report,โ Cattle Producers Of Louisiana, November 1, 2021. Archived February 8, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.is/JnTtp
University students are also a target for the PACTโs messaging. At the Protein PACT summit in 2024, the initiativeโs founder, Eric Mittenthal, said it had โfocussed a lot of attention in universitiesโ in the past year, to win over younger consumers who are โinfluenced by what they’re being fed in their cafeteriasโ.
The Protein PACTโs members includes several U.S industry groups and affiliations such as the Animal Agriculture Alliance and National Cattlemenโs Beef Association (NCBA), which have worked with influencers and social media users to target younger consumers in recent years after studies suggested young people are moving away from animal-based products.45Joe Fassler. โInside big beefโs climate messaging machine: confuse, defend and downplay,โ The Guardian, May 3, 2023. Archived March 23, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/RsRFs
Dieticians
Dieticians were highlighted as a โkey audienceโ for the Protein PACT by Red Flag lead consultant Melissa San Miguel at the 2023 Protein PACT Summit in San Diego.46โLean Trimmings Volume 9, Issue 41,โ North American Meat Institute, October 10, 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog., 47โCommunications updates, Protein PACT Summit, October 2023,โ North American Meat Institute, October 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archived February 21, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wsfHx
At the 2024 Protein PACT Summit, the initiativeโs founder, Eric Mittenthal, said the initiative was doing โlots of workโ with registered dieticians to โensure that they understand what they’re communicating to people who have problems with food and that they understand the whole science.โ48Comments from Eric Mittenthal at the Protein PACT Summit 2024 in Austin, Texas. Audio file and transcript available at DeSmog.
While the Protein PACT works to position meat as part of a healthy diet,49โThe Protein PACT,โ Facebook post by user TheProteinPACT, November 26, 2024. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog., 50โProtein PACT,โ Facebook post by user TheProteinPACT, January 10, 2025. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog. major scientific assessments have shown that meat is overconsumed in countries like the U.S., with significant negative impacts on health.51Willet et al. โFood in the Anthropocene: the EATโLancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems,โ The Lancet, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4 Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog., 52Pan et al. โRed meat consumption and mortality: results from 2 prospective cohort studies,โ Archive of Internal Medicine, 2013. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.2287. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
Studies have found links between the consumption of meat and heart disease, cancers, dementia, and all-cause mortality, and bodies such as the American Heart Association say citizens should lower their consumption โ a fact the Protein PACT does not communicate in its materials.53Willet et al. โFood in the Anthropocene: the EATโLancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems,โ The Lancet, 2019. DOI: DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog., 54Pan et al. โRed meat consumption and mortality: results from 2 prospective cohort studies,โ National Institutes of Health, 2013. DOI: 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.2287. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog., 55โโโIARC Monographs evaluate consumption of red meat and processed meat,โ World Health Organization: International Agency for Research on Cancer, October 26, 2015. Archived November 30, 2023. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog., 56Schwingshackl, et al. โFood groups and risk of all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies,โ The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2017. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.117.153148. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog., 57Yip, Lam & Fielding. โA summary of meat intakes and health burdens,โ European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2017. DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2017.117. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog., 58Zheng, et al. โAssociation of changes in red meat consumption with total and cause specific mortality among US women and men: two prospective cohort studies,โ BMJ, 2019. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.l2110. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog
The Protein PACT highlights the nutritional qualities of meat, such as it being a source of protein and iron. However, the initiativeโs messaging fails to acknowledge that these nutrients are also provided by many plant-based foods, which scientists have been found to have both climate and health benefits compared to animal source foods.59Springmann. โA multicriteria analysis of meat and milk alternatives from nutritional, health, environmental, and cost perspectives,โ PNAS, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2319010121. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
Environmental and food systems advocates
The Protein PACT puts gaining credibility with environmentalists and food systems advocates and establishing a presence within international climate fora at the heart of its communications strategy.
For example, after the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, Protein PACT founder Eric Mittenthal shared his view that โnon-traditionalโ partnerships with NGOs could help the meat industry be taken seriously.60Rachel Sherrington. โU.S. Meat Lobby Celebrates โPositive Outcomeโ of COP28,โ DeSmog, April 8, 2024. Archived March 2, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/FowmR
Climate negotiators have also been a key audience for the PACTโs messaging, according to the PR company Red Flagโs Melissa San Miguel.61โLean Trimmings Volume 9, Issue 41,โ North American Meat Institute, October 10, 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog., 62โCommunications updates, Protein PACT Summit, October 2023,โ North American Meat Institute, October 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archived February 21, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wsfHx
Academics
In May 2023, the Protein PACT established a seven-person โacademic advisory councilโ to guide it on โresearch priorities and the latest evidence related to meat production and consumption.63Ryan McCarthy. โNAMI forms Protein PACT Academic Advisory Council,โ Meat+Poultry, May 23, 2023. Archived January 30, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/Fi7im Sentient Media reported that the PACT financially supported these academics and that the PACT was funding research to help with its communications efforts.64Jenny Splitter. โWhat You Need to Know About the Meat Industry-Funded โProtein Pactโ,โ Sentient Media, September 19, 2023. Archived March 25, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/HyxHU
The advisory council includes Baylor University academic Craig Gunderson, who has said the idea that meat consumption is unhealthy is โcrazyโ and based on โno evidence.โ65โAlleviating Food Insecurity in the USA: The critical role of meat Food Insecurity Solutions and Impact of Regulations,โ Societal Role of Meat conference, October 31, 2024, Colorado State University, Colorado. Recording and notes on file at DeSmog.
This statement contradicts substantial scientific evidence on the health impacts of red and processed meat.66โIARC Monographs evaluate consumption of red meat and processed meat,โ World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer, October 26, 2015. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog., 67Schwingshackl, et al. โFood groups and risk of all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies,โ The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2017. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.117.153148. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog., 68CSC Yip, W. Lam & R. Fielding. โA summary of meat intakes and health burdens,โ Nature.com, August 9, 2017. Archived January 13, 2023. Archive URL: http://archive.today/DXZ2h, 69Zheng, et al. โAssociation of changes in red meat consumption with total and cause specific mortality among US women and men: two prospective cohort studies,โ BMJ, 2019. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.l2110. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog., 70Stanton, et al. โ36-fold higher estimate of deaths attributable to red meat intake in GBD 2019: is this reliable?,โ The Lancet, 2022. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00311-7 External Link. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog., 71Christopher J L Murray. โ36-fold higher estimate of deaths attributable to red meat intake in GBD 2019: is this reliable? – Author’s reply,โ Pub Med NCBI NLM NIH, April 2, 2022. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00518-9. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
Investors
At the Protein PACT Summit 2024, Mittenthal shared that the โinvestor communityโ was โanother one that we’ve been more and more engaged with this yearโ with a presence at the Green Fin Conference.”72Sarah Novak. โBridging the Gap: Bringing Agriculture into the Green Finance Conversation,โ American Feed Industry Association, June 20, 2024. Archived November 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/VYyQM , 73Comments from Eric Mittenthal at the 2024 Protein PACT Summit. Transcript available on request.
At the Protein PACT 2024 Summit, Sam Wildman, the Meat Instituteโs Director of Strategic Projects, said โinvestor relations educationโ was an important part of the PACTโs strategy โ to illustrate that meat is a โtrusted partner in the supply chain.โ
Funding
The Protein PACT website does not provide details of its funding. However, according to LinkedIn, Eric Mittenthal managed to recruit $1 million in partnership funding for โstrategic communicationsโ to support his work on the initiative.74โEric Mittenthal,โ LinkedIn, Accessed April 4, 2025. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
Affiliations
Partners
- Animal Agriculture Alliance
- Beef Alliance
- Dairy Management Inc
- Elanco
- IFEEDER
- Leather & Hide Council of America
- National Corn Growers Association
- PIC
- US Pork Board
- National Pork Producers Council
- Meat Institute
- United Soybean Board
- US Meat Export Federation
- US Roundtable for Sustainable Beef
- US Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry and Eggs
Industry Sponsors
- Amcor
- Bayer
- Bunzl
- Corbion
- Environ
- Eurofins
- FlexXray
- Food Production Solutions Association (FPSA)
- FSNS
- Hawkins
- Infor
- Intralox
- Jarvis
- Lucid Corp
- Multivac
- Neogen
- Pinion
- US Manufacturers of Recycled Paper
- Reiser Built on Trust
- SEE
- Trade Cafรฉ
- Wells Fargo
- Wow Logistics
Protein PACT Endorsers
- AFCO
- American Frozen Food Institute
- Animal Health Institute
- American Meat Science Association
- American Veal Association
- Canadian Meat Council
- Carni Sostenibli
- Consejo Mexicano de la Carne
- Corn Refiners Association
- Consumer Brand Association
- Decade of Ag
- European Livestock Voice
- Feeding America
- The Food Industry Association
- FSNS
- Food Production Solutions Association (FPSA)
- Fulton Market Group
- Global Cold Chain Alliance
- Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef
- Grundfos
- IICA
- Kerry
- Marcus Technologies
- Meat Foundation
- Mexican Beef
- Multivac
- NASDA
- NCCR
- National Institute for Animal Agriculture
- National Milk Producers Federation
- National Retail Federation
- North American Renderers Association
- Phibro – Animal Health Corporation
- Solutions from the Land
- Sustainable Environmental Consultants
- Trust in Food – a Farm Journal Initiative
- US Dairy Export Council
- WMIN
Other affiliations
- Red Flag
- Frank Mitloehner
- Dublin Declaration
Resources
- 1โUniting Feed and Animal Protein Production Through the Protein PACT,โ American Feed Industry Association, December 9, 2021. Archived July 22, 2025. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/qVhH3
- 2
- 3
- 4Comments from Eric Mittenthal at the Protein PACT 2024 Summit. Audio and transcript available on request at DeSmog.
- 5Rachel Sherrington. โBig Meat Unveils Battle Plans for COP28,โ DeSmog, November 29, 2023. Archived March 20, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/pGum3
- 6โCommunications updates, Protein PACT Summit, October 2023,โ North American Meat Institute, October 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archived February 21, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wsfHx
- 7โFeedlot Numbers Down but Plentiful Currently, Cow Country Report,โ Cattle Producers Of Louisiana, November 1, 2021. Archived February 8, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.is/JnTtp
- 8โGoals & Progress,โ Protein PACT. Archived December 19, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/UVS4m
- 9โOptions for a Paris-Compliant Livestock Sector,โ Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law & Policy Program Harvard Law School, March 2024. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
- 10Jenny Splitter. โWhat You Need to Know About the Meat Industry-Funded โProtein Pactโ,โ Sentient Media, September 19, 2023. Archived March 25, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/HyxHU
- 11Jenny Splitter. โWhat You Need to Know About the Meat Industry-Funded โProtein Pactโ,โ Sentient Media, September 19, 2023. Archived March 25, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/HyxHU
- 12โReflections on COP28,โ The Protein PACT, December 19, 2023. Archived July 29, 2025. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/zB2eJ
- 13Global Methane Assessment: Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions,โ Climate and Clean Air Coalition, 2021. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
- 14Harwatt et al., โOptions for a Paris-Compliant Livestock Sector,โ 2024.ย Harvard Law School Animal Law and Policy Program.ย Archived July 6, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 15Willet et al., โFood in the Anthropocene: the EATโLancetย Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems,โ The Lancet, 2019. DOI:ย 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 16โWho we are,โ Protein PACT. Archived December 19, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/qSIt4
- 17โFeedlot Numbers Down but Plentiful Currently, Cow Country Report,โ Cattle Producers Of Louisiana, November 1, 2021. Archived February 8, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.is/JnTtp
- 18โWho we are,โ Protein PACT. Archived December 19, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/qSIt4
- 19โFeedlot Numbers Down but Plentiful Currently, Cow Country Report,โ Cattle Producers Of Louisiana, November 1, 2021. Archived February 8, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.is/JnTtp
- 20โNAMI: Animal agriculture organizations launch ambitious new Protein PACT,โ Pig333.com. Archived September 16, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/iXdlg
- 21โProtein-PACT launch two pager for partners,โ Protein PACT, 2021. Archived August 21, 2021. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 22โFeedlot Numbers Down but Plentiful Currently, Cow Country Report,โ Cattle Producers Of Louisiana, November 1, 2021. Archived February 8, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.is/JnTtp
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- 24โLivestock Donโt Contribute 14.5% of Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions,โ The Breakthrough Institute. Archived July 28, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/hRPzY
- 25Global Methane Assessment: Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions,โ Climate and Clean Air Coalition, 2021. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
- 26โThe Protein PACT: 2025 and Beyond,โ YouTube, Meat Institute Channel, November 22, 2024. Archived .mp3 available at DeSmog.
- 27Global Methane Assessment: Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions,โ Climate and Clean Air Coalition, 2021. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
- 28โThe New Merchants of Doubt: How Big Meat and Dairy Avoid Climate Action,โ Changing Markets Foundation, 2024. Archived May 2, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 29โBuilding from Transparent Baselines: 2023 Continuous Improvement Report,โ North American Meat Institute and Protein PACT, October 2023. Archived November 10, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/pHTm3
- 30โThe New Merchants of Doubt: How Big Meat and Dairy Avoid Climate Action,โ Changing Markets Foundation, 2024. Archived May 2, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 31โCorporate Climate Responsibility Monitor 2024,โ New Climate, April 9, 2024. Archived March 25, 2025. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
- 32Joe Fassler. โResearch Undermines Claims that Soil Carbon Can Offset Livestock Emissions,โ DeSmog, February 1, 2024. Archived June 2, 2025. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Tuc7Z
- 33โGoals & Progress,โ Protein PACT. Archived March 25, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/UVS4m
- 34Rachel Sherrington and Hazel Healy. โA Guide to Six Greenwashing Terms Big Ag Is Bringing to COP28,โ DeSmog, September 21, 2023. Archived March 16, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/1P57A
- 35Zach Boren. โHow the beef is industry is trying to change the maths of climate change,โ Unearthed, September 3, 2022. Archived March 28, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/CHO2n
- 36Joe Fassler. โThe Livestock Industryโs โClimate Neutralโ Claims Are Too Good To Be True,โ DeSmog, December 14, 2023. Archived March 14, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/auqNs
- 37Rachel Sherrington. โIndustry -Backed Emissions Metric Could โCompletely Derailโ Climate Action, Campaigners Warn,โ DeSmog, December 6, 2024. Archived February 28, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/G5TKd
- 38โReflections on COP28,โ The Protein PACT, December 19, 2023. Archived July 29, 2025. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/zB2eJ
- 39Willet et al., โFood in the Anthropocene: the EATโLancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems,โ The Lancet, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 40Harwatt et al., โOptions for a Paris-Compliant Livestock Sector,โ 2024. Harvard Law School Animal Law and Policy Program. Archived July 6, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 41Nina Dater. โProtein Pact. Presentation Global Conference on Sustainable Beef, Denver, Colorado,โ Red Flag Consulting, November 7, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/clZMo
- 42Kimberly Clima, โIn Protein we Trust,โ Meat + Poultry, November 21, 2021. Archived January 25, 2025. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/2Bz0j
- 43Nina Dater. โProtein Pact. Presentation Global Conference on Sustainable Beef, Denver, Colorado,โ Red Flag Consulting, November 7, 2022. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/clZMo
- 44โFeedlot Numbers Down but Plentiful Currently, Cow Country Report,โ Cattle Producers Of Louisiana, November 1, 2021. Archived February 8, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.is/JnTtp
- 45Joe Fassler. โInside big beefโs climate messaging machine: confuse, defend and downplay,โ The Guardian, May 3, 2023. Archived March 23, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/RsRFs
- 46โLean Trimmings Volume 9, Issue 41,โ North American Meat Institute, October 10, 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 47โCommunications updates, Protein PACT Summit, October 2023,โ North American Meat Institute, October 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archived February 21, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wsfHx
- 48Comments from Eric Mittenthal at the Protein PACT Summit 2024 in Austin, Texas. Audio file and transcript available at DeSmog.
- 49โThe Protein PACT,โ Facebook post by user TheProteinPACT, November 26, 2024. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
- 50โProtein PACT,โ Facebook post by user TheProteinPACT, January 10, 2025. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
- 51Willet et al. โFood in the Anthropocene: the EATโLancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems,โ The Lancet, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4 Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 52Pan et al. โRed meat consumption and mortality: results from 2 prospective cohort studies,โ Archive of Internal Medicine, 2013. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.2287. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 53Willet et al. โFood in the Anthropocene: the EATโLancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems,โ The Lancet, 2019. DOI: DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 54Pan et al. โRed meat consumption and mortality: results from 2 prospective cohort studies,โ National Institutes of Health, 2013. DOI: 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.2287. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
- 55โโโIARC Monographs evaluate consumption of red meat and processed meat,โ World Health Organization: International Agency for Research on Cancer, October 26, 2015. Archived November 30, 2023. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
- 56Schwingshackl, et al. โFood groups and risk of all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies,โ The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2017. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.117.153148. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
- 57Yip, Lam & Fielding. โA summary of meat intakes and health burdens,โ European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2017. DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2017.117. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
- 58Zheng, et al. โAssociation of changes in red meat consumption with total and cause specific mortality among US women and men: two prospective cohort studies,โ BMJ, 2019. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.l2110. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog
- 59Springmann. โA multicriteria analysis of meat and milk alternatives from nutritional, health, environmental, and cost perspectives,โ PNAS, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2319010121. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 60Rachel Sherrington. โU.S. Meat Lobby Celebrates โPositive Outcomeโ of COP28,โ DeSmog, April 8, 2024. Archived March 2, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/FowmR
- 61โLean Trimmings Volume 9, Issue 41,โ North American Meat Institute, October 10, 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 62โCommunications updates, Protein PACT Summit, October 2023,โ North American Meat Institute, October 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archived February 21, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wsfHx
- 63Ryan McCarthy. โNAMI forms Protein PACT Academic Advisory Council,โ Meat+Poultry, May 23, 2023. Archived January 30, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/Fi7im
- 64Jenny Splitter. โWhat You Need to Know About the Meat Industry-Funded โProtein Pactโ,โ Sentient Media, September 19, 2023. Archived March 25, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/HyxHU
- 65โAlleviating Food Insecurity in the USA: The critical role of meat Food Insecurity Solutions and Impact of Regulations,โ Societal Role of Meat conference, October 31, 2024, Colorado State University, Colorado. Recording and notes on file at DeSmog.
- 66โIARC Monographs evaluate consumption of red meat and processed meat,โ World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer, October 26, 2015. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
- 67Schwingshackl, et al. โFood groups and risk of all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies,โ The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2017. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.117.153148. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
- 68CSC Yip, W. Lam & R. Fielding. โA summary of meat intakes and health burdens,โ Nature.com, August 9, 2017. Archived January 13, 2023. Archive URL: http://archive.today/DXZ2h
- 69Zheng, et al. โAssociation of changes in red meat consumption with total and cause specific mortality among US women and men: two prospective cohort studies,โ BMJ, 2019. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.l2110. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
- 70Stanton, et al. โ36-fold higher estimate of deaths attributable to red meat intake in GBD 2019: is this reliable?,โ The Lancet, 2022. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00311-7 External Link. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.
- 71Christopher J L Murray. โ36-fold higher estimate of deaths attributable to red meat intake in GBD 2019: is this reliable? – Author’s reply,โ Pub Med NCBI NLM NIH, April 2, 2022. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00518-9. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 72Sarah Novak. โBridging the Gap: Bringing Agriculture into the Green Finance Conversation,โ American Feed Industry Association, June 20, 2024. Archived November 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/VYyQM
- 73Comments from Eric Mittenthal at the 2024 Protein PACT Summit. Transcript available on request.
- 74โEric Mittenthal,โ LinkedIn, Accessed April 4, 2025. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.