Reliance Industries Snags PETA ‘Courage In Commerce’ Award For Saying ‘No’ To Meat

For Immediate Release:
18 December 2013

Contact:
Benazir Suraiya; [email protected]
Bhuvaneshwari Gupta; [email protected]

Company Shuns Meat Sales After Stakeholders, Animal Rights Activists Raise Ruckus

Mumbai – Everyone from shareholders and religious groups to consumers and animal activists across India have cause to celebrate. That’s because, according topress reports, Reliance Industries Ltd, which is owned by vegetarian Mukesh Ambani, has decided to shut down Delight, its 5-year-old venture, and return to its vegetarian roots after receiving an avalanche of negative feedback – including from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India. For making the compassionate decision to stick with animal-, health- and Earth-friendly vegetarian foods, Reliance will receive PETA’s Courage in Commerce Award. Reliance will close its nearly 100 Delight outlets.

“By shuddering its meat outlets, Reliance has taken a stand that’s not only ethical but also good for business”, says PETA India’s CEO Poorva Joshipura. “Millions of Indians are proud of our cultural tradition of nonviolence, and its truest test is when it’s applied to the most defenseless beings on the planet, and that includes animals.”

As seen in PETA’s video exposé of the meat industry, narrated by R Madhavan, animals raised and killed for their flesh suffer every day of their lives. At abattoirs, chickens are often scalded to death, and pigs are repeatedly stabbed in the heart as they scream in pain. Cows, goats and sheep have their throats cut, and many are skinned and dismembered while they’re still conscious. Fish are often mutilated or crushed as they suffocate to death.

Eating animals can also be deadly to humans. Consuming meat and other animal products has been conclusively linked to heart disease, diabetes and obesity – all prevalent health problems in India. And the Earth suffers too. Raising animals for food is a leading cause of water consumption and pollution, land degradation and the greenhouse-gas emissions that cause climate change.

PETA’S correspondence with Reliance is available upon request. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com.

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