Health, Carnivore Diets, and the Fight for Profit: How to see the cows for the trees

The health benefits of a plant-based diet are strongly supported by science, yet misinformation about these diets is spreading, fuelled by strategic lobbying from the meat and dairy industries. These industries employ tactical marketing and PR efforts to promote high-meat diets like the carnivore diet, which lacks substantial research backing its health claims and undermine the credibility of plant-based diets to create confusion, spark controversy and politicise dietary choices. The New Merchants of Doubt report from the Changing Markets Foundation reveals that these tactics bear striking similarities to those used by the tobacco industry to sow doubt over well-established health risks. In contrast to the plant-based sector the gulf in these efforts is startling: meat producers in the US spend 190 times more on lobbying for favourable policy than plant-based alternatives, and in the EU meat producers receive 1,200 times more in public funding .

So with lobbying and advertising so heavily influencing what we see, watch and read to about our diet choices to prioritise their profit over our health, how can we cut through the misinformation and see the cows for the trees? 

Read on for more information and how advertising has intentionally misled us and to understand what the science is telling us. 

Beef: It's What's For Dinner Campaign Logo - Credit: Beef It's What's for Dinner Campaign

Health Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

The benefits of plant-based diets are widely acknowledged in the scientific community. Numerous studies show that vegans have lower risks of chronic illnesses like heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. 

A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies found that adherence to plant-based diets was associated with an 8.1% reduction in cardiovascular mortality and a 10.2% reduction in cardiovascular disease risk. These benefits stem from the high intake of fibre, antioxidants, and unsaturated fats and the low levels of saturated fat typically found in plant-based diets. This dietary pattern helps lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and body weight—key factors in preventing chronic diseases like heart disease and Type 2 diabetes​.

Additionally, research from the Million Veteran Program, which studied over 148,000 participants, further supports the role of plant-based diets in reducing risks of chronic conditions. The program highlights the positive impacts of higher consumption of whole grains, vegetables, and legumes on cardiovascular health​.

A study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition also highlighted that a vegan diet is associated with 23% reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes, attributing these benefits to the high fiber, low saturated fat, and high antioxidant levels in plant foods. In contrast, this study highlighted that higher intake of meat, especially red and processed meat as well as fat from animal sources has been linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Such findings counter the claims often spread in misinformation campaigns, which downplay or ignore the established health benefits of plant-based diets.

Risks Associated with High Meat and Dairy Consumption

Despite the benefits of vegan diets, the meat and dairy industries continue to emphasise the supposed healthfulness of animal products, sometimes in direct contradiction to the positions of reputable health organisations. The World Health Organization (WHO), for instance, classifies red and processed meats as probable carcinogens, linking them to increased risks of colorectal, pancreatic, and prostate cancers. Bacon and other processed meats now sit alongside tobacco, asbestos and plutonium in the WHO’s list of known carcinogens. In a British Medical Journal study, researchers found that high red and processed meat consumption correlates with elevated risks of heart disease, stroke, and early death - specifically finding that an increase of half a daily serving of processed meat was associated with a 13% higher risk of all-cause mortality, and a 9% increase for unprocessed red meat. While dairy is often promoted as essential for bone health, studies, including one from JAMA Pediatrics, found no consistent link between dairy intake and reduced fracture risk and even found that higher milk intake during adolescence was associated with an increased risk of hip fractures, challenging the pervasive “Got Milk?” campaign message.

Frankie Muniz Features in Famous "Got Milk?" Adverts - Credit: Got Milk Campaign

Polarisation and the Culture War over Diet

The discourse around plant-based diets has been pulled into an intensifying culture war, polarising the topic and steering it away from its scientific foundations. In a politically charged environment, dietary choices have morphed into statements of personal identity or political allegiance. The conversation has become not just about health, but about values and ideologies, with plant-based eating sometimes framed as part of a broader “anti-traditional” agenda. Social media amplifies these divides, spreading misinformation faster and making it difficult for consumers to access clear, science-based dietary guidance.

The carnivore diet is an example of this phenomenon. Despite limited research on its health effects, it’s been popularised online, sometimes with the backing of industry influencers, promoting it as a healthier, simpler alternative to vegan diets. This diet, centred almost exclusively on animal products, contradicts the American Heart Association’s recommendation to limit red meat and saturated fat to reduce cardiovascular risks. Such counter-scientific movements gain traction by appealing to identity-based resistance to plant-based diets, fostering a mistrust of science in favour of personal beliefs or industry-aligned narratives.

The Influence of Industry Lobbying and Misinformation Campaigns

Lobbying by meat and dairy industries has long shaped public perception of what constitutes a healthy diet. For example, the Cattlemen's Beef Board, which manages the Beef Checkoff Program, has raised billions of dollars since its inception in 1985. These are are allocated to research, promotion, and lobbying, often favouring industry narratives about meat consumption that prioritise the industry’s profit over public health. Campaigns like “Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner”, “Got Milk?”, “Pork: The Other White Meat”, and “The Incredible, Edible Egg” convinced generations that these products were essential to good health, despite emerging evidence that favours plant-based diets for preventing chronic illnesses.

Over 70% of cows are raised in factory farms in the UK & US - Credit: World Animal Foundation

Such industry-driven messaging isn’t limited to advertising but also includes subtle PR strategies that associate meat and dairy with strength, tradition, and resilience. The focus on high-protein, animal-based diets as “ideal for health” persists, diverting attention from plant-based diets' scientifically backed benefits. This multi-channel approach has led consumers to question plant-based eating, even as the science behind it strengthens.

A recent effort by the “Got Milk?” creators MilkPEP, funded by America's Milk Companies.  attempted to undermine the rise in the plant milk sector with an ad for a fictitious product called Wood Milk, which, the advert stated, was made from wood “squished into a slime that’s legal to sell”. The effort has been accused by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine as violating multiple laws for misleading or false advertising.

"Pork: The Other White Meat" Campaign - Credit: Sunshine Coast Organic Meats

Moving Towards Evidence-Based Dietary Choices

To make informed dietary decisions, consumers must navigate an environment saturated with misinformation. The American Dietetic Association states that vegan diets can be nutritionally adequate at all life stages and offer protection against many diseases. Turning to credible, evidence-based sources like these enables individuals to cut through industry-driven narratives and choose diets grounded in science, not ideology. This is why many national dietary guidelines have updated their recommendations to reflect ever-increasing scientific support, including the US, Norway, Austria, Canada and Germany. 

As dietary choices increasingly become part of polarised discourse, it’s essential to advocate for transparency and to champion science-based information on plant-based eating. By promoting well-documented, health-focused insights on plant-based diets, we can help shift the conversation back to public health and away from political divides, ensuring that the benefits of plant-focused diets are recognized for their positive impacts on human health.