The animal industrial complex (AIC) is not only harmful to animals, the environment and humans directly involved with farming or living in farming communities; many people may not realise that the AIC can impact their health from the other side of the world. This is because consuming animal products has both a direct unhealthful effect at an individual level, and also contributes to a system that plays a key role in many public health threats. These health issues, including chronic disease burdens and pandemics such as COVID-19, often disproportionately impact the people in our world who are already disadvantaged. In this way, the AIC not only contributes to health-specific issues, but also the issue of environmental injustice.