Written by: Heather Clemenceau
How often do you hear or see an ad that leaves you questioning the claims being made? Anyone who knows me knows that both online and IRL, I am a “super-complainer.” You really have no choice anymore, because “fake news” permeates literally every subject.
A few months ago I visited the Richelieu horse slaughterhouse website as I am wont to do every few months, just to see what nonsense they are purporting. There’s usually always something that can be used to launch an official complaint, and they didn’t disappoint. Claims about horsemeat for pregnant women and for those prone to infection really drew my ire. It’s not very smart to put out information that is so easily discredited. But nobody said horse killers are smart.
It took complaints to Ad Standards, Health Canada, and finally the CFIA (who acted upon the complaint) to do something about it. The CFIA didn’t say exactly what they did or what they counselled Richelieu to remove or stop posting on their website, but I was very pleased that they looked at my materials and saw that the horse killers were using language that amounted to a murky sea of nutritional “advice.”
Our community of anti-slaughter advocates is strong and engaged! If you see questionable or false claims being made about the quality or nutritional value of horsemeat or indeed any animal product, please contact:
Ad Standards
The CFIA
Health Canada
Competition Bureau of Canada
READ THE CFIA Letter
