Last week, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals heard oral argument in Animal Outlook’s challenge to the American Heart Association’s paid “Heart‑Check” seal on certain meat products — a certification that, we allege, contradicts AHA’s own science and misleads consumers.⚖️🌱
Here’s what’s really happening: The AHA has publicly acknowledged in its own peer-reviewed journals that higher meat intake is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. They’ve stated that red meats like beef, pork, and lamb have more saturated fat than other protein sources and can raise blood cholesterol and increase heart disease risk. Yet companies can pay a fee to display the Heart-Check mark on these very products, as long as they meet basic government standards, marketing them as “heart healthy” to consumers who have no idea it’s a pay-to-play endorsement.
We sent AHA a letter in late 2021 asking them to stop this practice. They refused. So we filed suit.
This case is about consumer protection, corporate accountability, and the rights of animals who are never “healthy” products. When over 165 million land animals are slaughtered annually in the U.S. for food (and that doesn’t even count chickens or fish), the institutions that lend their credibility to corporate marketing matter enormously.
A peek behind the curtain on how this work really happens: our investigators compile the evidence, our counsel translates that evidence into enforceable legal claims, and last week’s courtroom appearance was the result of months of strategy sessions, research, and collaboration. Waymaker LLP stepped up to represent us pro bono, and we’re incredibly grateful to Teresa Huggins for her leadership and sharp advocacy on behalf of animals and consumers. We couldn’t do this without partners like her. 🙏
We’re here to shift systems, not just headlines. We speak truth to power and we build the alternatives that make compassion practical and affordable. If you believe in honest health claims, humane policy, and a future where food doesn’t cost animal lives — stand with us.
Thank you again to Teresa Huggins and the Waymaker LLP team for representing Animal Outlook so skillfully. ✊🌿
