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Animals farmedDeforestation



This article is more than 1 year old


WALMART SELLING BEEF FROM FIRM LINKED TO AMAZON DEFORESTATION

This article is more than 1 year old

Exclusive: US chains Walmart, Costco and Kroger selling Brazilian beef produced
by JBS linked to destruction of Brazilian rainforest

Walmart, Costco and Kroger are selling beef imported from Brazil by JBS
subsidiary Sampco. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters
Walmart, Costco and Kroger are selling beef imported from Brazil by JBS
subsidiary Sampco. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Animals farmed is supported by

About this content
Andrew Wasley and Alexandra Heal
Sat 13 Feb 2021 07.00 GMTLast modified on Wed 25 Aug 2021 14.44 BST
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Three of the biggest US grocery chains sell Brazilian beef produced by a
controversial meat company linked to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest,
an investigation has revealed.

Food giants Walmart, Costco and Kroger – which together totalled net sales worth
more than half a trillion dollars last year – are selling Brazilian beef
products imported from JBS, the world’s largest meat company, which has been
linked to deforestation.



Brazilian beef has been identified as a key driver of deforestation in the
Amazon, where swathes of forest are cleared for pasture used for cattle farming.
The Amazon is a crucial buffer in stabilising the regional and global climate.
Experts say preserving the world’s rainforests is essential if further
intensification of the climate emergency is to be averted.



Research by the Guardian, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the
nonprofit data analysis agency C4ADS established that in recent years, the JBS
subsidiary Sampco Inc has imported thousands of tonnes of Brazilian beef,
destined for grocery chains and other food companies, into the US.

The products include shredded and canned (corned) beef, as well as frozen meat
and steaks. In December, Sampco-branded shredded beef, produced in a JBS factory
in São Paulo, was being sold online by both Walmart and Costco, and shipping
data pinpoints JBS exports of Brazilian corned beef being supplied for sale in
Kroger stores.

Between July 2017 and November 2019, Sampco imported more than 5,000
consignments of Brazilian beef products totalling 7,884 tonnes, records obtained
by C4ADS show.



Responding to these findings, campaigners called on the grocery chains to take
swift action to rid supply chains of deforestation-linked products.

“Supermarkets need to go beyond their sustainability rhetoric by setting strict
requirements for their suppliers, banning deforestation, monitoring their
suppliers for compliance, and dropping contracts with the worst offenders like
JBS,” said Lucia von Reusner, senior campaign director of international campaign
organisation Mighty Earth.

Costco declined to answer questions but pointed to its sustainability policies,
which state: “Our intent is not to source beef from high-risk deforestation
regions until comprehensive traceability and monitoring systems are in place.”



A Walmart spokesperson said: “Walmart takes these allegations seriously and will
review the claims made. We believe healthy forests sustain biodiversity, support
livelihoods and play an important role in mitigating climate change. Walmart is
working with suppliers on certification, monitoring, supporting sustainable
sourcing regions, promoting collaborative action and advocating for effective
policy.”

Brazil meat giant JBS pledges to axe suppliers linked to deforestation
Read more

A spokesperson for Kroger said: “We take deforestation seriously, as
demonstrated by our no-deforestation commitment, and continue to engage our
suppliers in pursuit of this commitment and to ensure no deforestation is
happening in our relevant supply chains.”

JBS beef exports have been linked to farms involved in up to 115 sq miles (300
sq km) of deforestation a year. The company slaughters almost 35,000 cattle a
day in Brazil.

A JBS spokesperson said: “The spurious allegation that JBS exports are linked to
deforestation is irresponsible and based on flawed, superficial analysis of the
correlation between the concentration of deforestation at municipality level and
the location of our plants. Correlation is not causation.”

Campaigners said the latest revelations highlighted the urgent need for US laws
that combat deforestation. To date there has not been any significant proposal
in the US for federal legislation outlawing agricultural imports linked to
tropical deforestation, unlike in Britain and the EU, where momentum for new
rules has recently gathered pace.

“The US is complicit in driving global deforestation through its sales of beef
products from Brazil,” said Sarah Lake, Mighty Earth’s vice-president and
director for Latin America. “The Biden administration has an opportunity to
advance legislation to restrict the import of products linked to deforestation,
just as the EU, the UK and France are already doing.”

Brian Schatz, Democratic senator for Hawaii, said before the Covid pandemic that
he planned to introduce such legislation. And last week, a bill was introduced
to the California state assembly that would require contractors supplying
products to the state to ensure they are not linked to deforestation overseas.

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farming and food stories across the world and keep up with our investigations.
And you can send us your stories and thoughts at animalsfarmed@theguardian.com


Topics
 * Deforestation
 * Animals farmed

 * Climate crisis
 * Brazil
 * Walmart
 * Food & drink industry
 * Supermarkets
 * Americas
 * news

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