South Beach Buses Drive Home Meat-Free Message Ahead of Food & Wine Festival, Courtesy of PETA

For Immediate Release:
February 12, 2026

Contact:
Andrew Grant 202-483-7382

Attendees of the South Beach Food & Wine Festival next week might steer clear of the meat-centric event once they get some food for thought that’s being served up by PETA, which has plastered local buses with a blitz of appeals pointing out that animals want to live—and urging everyone to hit the brakes on eating them.

“Behind every meaty meal is an individual who felt pain and fear, loved their family, and didn’t want to go to the knife,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is encouraging everyone to consider who is on their plates and opt for tasty vegan vittles.”

PETA points out that cows develop friendships over time, chickens form complex social structures, and pigs recognize their own names—but in today’s meat, egg, and dairy industries, the animals are raised in filthy, crowded conditions, trucked to slaughterhouses through all weather extremes, and violently killed.

In addition to sparing nearly 200 animals every year, each person who goes vegan also bolsters their own health, as vegans are less likely to suffer from cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help those looking to make the switch.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.