The major food retailer and producer, Tyson Foods Inc. is being sued over allegations it does not practice the same standards it promotes in its advertising. Food and Water Watch Inc. (FWW) and the Organic Consumer Association (OCA) claim Tyson has not held best practice standards and allege “that Tyson makes false marketing and advertising representations intended to make consumers think that Tyson chicken products are produced in an environmentally responsible way, and that Tyson birds are healthy and treated humanely,” according to a press release by Food and Water Watch. Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food and Water Watch, says, “In 2014, Tyson dumped more than 20 million pounds of toxic pollutants into US waterways. From 2013 to 2015, the company was guilty of more than 300 wastewater Clean Water Act permit exceedances. Any claims of environmental responsibility are patently false.” The lawsuit, filed July 10 in a Washington D.C. Superior Court, does not seek monetary damages, “only an end to the deceptive marketing and advertising at issue." The company has a social media and online presence that claims to hold itself to the highest standards of animal care and welfare. “From the beginning, our company has been built on faith, family, and hard work. That tradition, our Core Values, and 'doing what's right' are deeply embedded in our culture,” John Tyson, chairman of Tyson Foods, notes in a general statement on the company's website. Tyson Foods did not respond to a request for comment on this specific case.
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