News Archives - Public Justice Food Project

July 28, 2021 In News

Law360: 9th Circ. OKs USDA Win In Clash Over Ads To Eat More Beef

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s summary judgment win against independent ranchers challenging assessments on cattle sales that fund industry groups’ pro-beef consumption advertisements, holding in a published opinion Tuesday the advertisements are government speech exempt from First Amendment scrutiny.

July 9, 2021 In News

Law360: Tenn. Judge Blocks Biden’s Race-Based Loan Relief Program

A federal judge in Tennessee added to a flurry of injunctions blocking President Joe Biden’s debt relief program aimed at helping Black and Native farmers recover from the pandemic, one month after a local county commissioner sued the government for discrimination.

June 30, 2021 In News

Advocate Capital: Public Justice Files a Lawsuit Against Smithfield Foods

The Food & Water Watch, represented by Public Justice, recently filed a lawsuit against Smithfield Foods. Public Justice filed the lawsuit alleging the meat processing company lied to consumers during the pandemic to protect their bottom line at the expense of their workers.

June 24, 2021 In News

New York Times: Judge Blocks $4 Billion U.S. Debt Relief Program for Minority Farmers

A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the Biden administration from making loan forgiveness payments to minority farmers as part of a $4 billion program intended to address a long history of racial injustice in American farming.

June 24, 2021 In News

Law360: Biden Admin.’s Race-Based Farm Debt Relief Program Halted

Law360 (June 24, 2021, 7:43 PM EDT) — A Florida federal judge said a Biden administration program providing farm loan debt relief to certain racial minority groups seems to improperly rely “on present discrimination to remedy past discrimination” in the government’s farm loan program.

June 21, 2021 In News

CNN: Advocacy group accuses Smithfield Foods of falsely warning of meat shortages

New York (CNN Business) Smithfield Foods, one of the country’s top meat processors, has been sued by a consumer advocacy group, which alleges that Smithfield misled the public when it raised an alarm over possible meat shortages in spring 2020.

June 21, 2021 In News

Bloomberg: Smithfield Sued for Profiting From Covid-Led Meat Shortage Fears

A consumer advocacy group is suing Smithfield Foods Inc. for allegedly fueling fears of a meat shortage during the pandemic to boost demand and prices for its products.

June 21, 2021 In News

New York Times: Smithfield Foods is sued by an advocacy group claiming it stoked fears of meat shortages.

Smithfield Foods was one of the first companies to warn that the country was in danger of running out of meat as coronavirus infections ripped through processing plants in April 2020 and health officials pressured the industry to halt some production to protect workers.

June 21, 2021 In News, Press Release

Smithfield Lied to the Public at the Expense of Workers’ Lives, New Lawsuit Alleges

Last week, Food & Water Watch, represented by Public Justice, filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia against Smithfield Foods, alleging that the multinational meat processing company repeatedly lied to consumers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic so it could protect its bottom line—at the expense of its workers’ lives.

June 21, 2021 In News, Press Release

Una Nueva Demanda Alega que Smithfield le Mintió al Público a Costa de las Vidas de los Trabajadores

La organización Food & Water Watch, representada por Public Justice presentó la semana pasada una demanda ante la Corte Superior del Distrito de Columbia contra Smithfield Foods, alegando que la planta procesadora de carne multinacional le mintió repetidamente a los consumidores durante la pandemia de COVID-19 para proteger su balance final—a costa de las vidas de los trabajadores.