Not Ready to ‘Meat’ Your Maker? New Billboard Encourages People to go Vegan to Prevent Early Death

For Immediate Release:

16 August 2016

Contact:

Jennifer White 020 7837 6327, ext 222; [email protected]

NOT READY TO ‘MEAT’ YOUR MAKER? NEW BILLBOARD ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO GO VEGAN TO PREVENT EARLY DEATH

PETA Erects Giant Ad After Harvard Study Links Bacon, Sausages, and Eggs to Higher Mortality

Belfast – “Not Ready to Meat Your Maker? Go Vegan!” That’s the message of a new PETA billboard – emblazoned with a meat pie in the shape of a coffin – that the group has erected in Belfast. The ad comes on the heels of a new study by Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital showing that diets rich in animal protein are associated with higher mortality. The study also found that swapping processed red meat for plant protein, such as lentils, beans, and nuts, reduces the risk of early death by 34 per cent.

More photos of the Hollywood Road billboard are available here and here.

“Each bite of bacon, sausage, or meat pastry may be moving you a step closer to an early death”, says PETA Foundation Director Elisa Allen. “PETA’s billboard is a grave reminder that going vegan is the best way to stay healthy for many years to come.”

The study supports a recent World Health Organisation report which classified processed meat as carcinogenic to humans – right alongside smoking. Numerous other studies have found that vegans are also less prone to developing heart disease, obesity, and diabetes than meat-eaters are. They also have a lower carbon footprint, as the meat industry is a leading producer of the greenhouse-gas emissions that contribute to climate change. And, of course, every person who goes vegan spares many animals from daily suffering and a terrifying death.

For all of these reasons, millions of people – including 20 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds, according to the research group Mintel – have embraced vegan meals. And according to Google Trends, Irish residents are searching online for “vegan” more often than ever before.

For more information or to order a free vegan starter kit, please visit PETA.org.uk.

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