Apparently Coca Cola is going cruelty free. This is excellent news for me — I’d never even thought about Coca Cola performing inhumane tests on animals, and I’m appalled at all the money I’ve spent on Diet Coke over the past few months. Years. Decades. Yuck. All my money going to a company that funds billions of dollars of independent inhumane laboratory animal experimentation (caveat: the article I linked to goes into some unpleasant details).
Coca-cola is only the last on the list of large companies PETA has been badgering in hopes of getting them to stop animal testing (Go PETA! Yay!). The list of newly cruelty-free companies is: Welch’s, Ocean Spray, POM, and Pepsi. (Oh the horror. I’ve bought drinks from all of those companies.)
Apparently, while Coca-Cola has never technically performed any animal testing on its products, it has been handing out grants to research institutions to perform invasive and deadly animal tests using Coca-cola for years. I am so disgusted — why would Coca-Cola do that for a soda product that has a huge market share, whose name is synonymous with the words “soft drink” (to quote Dave Barry), and whose main ingredient is sugar? Forgive me, not even sugar — isn’t Coca-Cola all corn-syrup-based now? Sheesh. I may give up Coca-Cola yet.
Luckily, Coca-Cola’s senior vice-president and chief innovation and technology officer, Danny Strickland, has now confirmed as of May 22, 2007, that “Coca-Cola does not conduct animal tests and does not directly fund animal tests on its beverages . . . We are sending letters to our partners and research organizations who may conduct safety evaluations on . . . ingredients insisting they use alternatives to animal testing, when such testing is both available and accepted by governments. We encourage the use of alternative testing methods whenever and wherever possible and financially support research to develop these alternative methods.” Yay! I’d like to see Danny Strickland issuing a press release about what companies exactly Coca-cola is giving money to to use alternative testing methods — SkinEthic? MatTek? Probably not since those are mostly skin-equivalent alternative testing companies.
So, I’m very glad that Coca-Cola has made this commitment not to fund tests on animals and to ask ingredients suppliers to use alternatives to animals testing, and I think that when a company as big and powerful as Coca-Cola stops animal testing, it sends a great message to other companies. However, I hope that someday Coca-cola will join all the CCIC-approved cruelty-free list, so that I won’t still be suspicious that it’s funding animal experimentation in some indepedent laboratory, or that its “asking” ingredient suppliers to stop animal testing is actually stopping its ingredients suppliers from testing on animals, or outsourcing its animal testing. So many companies do that.
Apparently the next drinks company on PETA’s list is Unilever — maker of Lipton tea and other food products. I hope Unilever also decides to follow along with Coca-cola, Pepsi, Welch’s, Ocean Spray, and POM and stops funding animal testing. So, if you’d like to help PETA, you can write to Michael B. Polk, the Group VP and President, Americas, of Unilever and urge him to end animal tests for their foods, beverages, and ingredients.
Michael B. Polk
Group VP and President, Americas
Unilever PLC
700 Sylvan Ave.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
201-894-4000
1-877-995-4483 (toll-free)
201-871-8257 (fax)
comments@unilever.com
patrick.cescau@unilever.com (Unilever’s group chief executive and director, based in the U.K.)
Or you can be like me and start boycotting Unilever products. The horrifying thing is that Unilever owns a ton of products: Ades, Alsa, Amora, Annapurna, Becel, Ben and Jerry’s, Best Foods, Bertolli, Bifi, Blue Band, Boursin, Bovril, Breyers, Brooke Bond, Bru, Bushells, Calve, Capitan Findus, Conimex, Colman’s, Continental, Country Crock, Doriana, Du Darfst, Elmlea, Findus, Flora, Fudgsicle, Gallo, Heartbrand, Hellmanns, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Imperial Margarine, Jif, Kissan, Knorr, Lan-Choo, Lao Cai, Lawry’s, Lipton, Maille, Maizena, Marmite, McCollins, Mrs. Filberts, Paddle pop, Pfanni, Peperami, PG Tips, Phase, Planta, Popsicle, Pot Noodle, Promise, Ragu, Rama, Red Rose Tea, Sana, Saga, Scottish Blend, Skippy, Slim Fast, Sunlight Soap, Stork margarine, Streets, Turun sinappi, Vaqueiro, Wish Bone (according to Wikipedia).
I can give up a lot of those brands, no problem. Most of them I’ve never seen before. But Ben and Jerry’s? That will be a sacrifice. Bertolli, Colman’s, Ragu? Yikes. Jif AND Skippy? What kind of peanut butter will I be able to buy now?
I loved this article and I completely agree with you. I never would have thought Coca-Cola would have took part in the world of cruelty. But I am very glad that they have had a change of heart and are now going cruelty free! But I will be more careful of the products I choose to buy, eat, drink and use. I will try, like you, to boycott Unilever as well. (I also don’t know more than half the products on that list either)!
Thank-you for this enriching article.
Jonelle .L
Comment by Jonelle — August 16, 2007 @ 12:32 pm
I’m so glad you feel the same way I do! Thanks for boycotting Unilever with me as well . . .
Comment by Emily — August 21, 2007 @ 1:54 pm
Hi there you guys!
Thanks for the info it is really disturbing, I was totally unaware of this information, and of the “hard hearted” side to some “soft drinks”!. I know my grandchildren drink Coca Cola and I will fill them in on all the details you have made known. To be honest I have in fact actually bought these drinks for them on occasion. This highlights that those who are determined to ban animal cruelty must continue being extra vigilant as to what we eat and drink an indeed use around the house.
As a speaker to wildlife groups across Central England I have on occasion brought up special subjects, and when opportune I highlight the horrors of human abuse toward farm animals.
I will publicize what these unfortunate creatures have been subjected to in the past in behalf of Coca Cola and Pepsi etc. To knowingly purchase these and many other such products denies other beings the ultra consideration they deserve and perpetuates their misery, lets all labour to see its end.
Regards
George Powell.
Comment by George — August 28, 2007 @ 3:10 pm
Hi George!
Isn’t it shocking that Coca Cola and Pepsi used to be so cruel? It really does illustrate, as you say, that those who want to ban animal cruelty have to be extra vigilant about buying the smallest thing.
That’s wonderful that you speak to wildlife groups across Central England — what a wonderful service to the community! Please keep up your good work!
Regards,
Emily
Comment by Emily — August 28, 2007 @ 3:13 pm
It really is easy to give up dairy ice cream . There’s a variety of soy and rice ice cream to choose from. They taste so good and most importantly they are cruelty -free . As for peanut butter, I love Kraft.
Comment by Natasha — September 25, 2007 @ 2:34 pm
Kraft peanut butter? I’ll have to give that a try!
Comment by Emily — September 26, 2007 @ 11:01 am
Hello All,
It helps to read labels and switch to buying fresh veggies and fruits to prepare healthy dinners rather that eat all these cruel processed foods. Untill they switch and start making better healthier food–they are not on my list. I just typed letters to Unilever execs and I will do the same to other companies. They only change their mind when it comes to the bottom line–so select fresh and cruelty free. And when you do write letter please be polite but to a point. Make sure you do not write an essay because they do not have time to read and make sure that you say not only you will not buy but that you will let all our friends and family know. Good luck:)
Comment by Elina — September 29, 2007 @ 11:09 pm
Hi there,
It’s great that you are trying to live animal cruelty free but the cruelty of humans is also something that should be considered. By drinking coke you may not be supporting the abuse of animals any more but you would be supporting the endless human rights abuses perpetrated by Coca Cola. Also, their environmental record is appalling which should also be a priority in a time when the health of our planet is at risk. If you want some further info you can try these sites:
http://killercoke.org/
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0307-30.htm
http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/cms/page1250.cfm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1004598,00.html
Cheers,
Emily Z
Comment by Emily Z — October 14, 2007 @ 6:44 pm
Hi Emily Z (sorry, I added “Z” on to your name to distinguish it from mine — if you’d like a different letter, please tell me),
Wow, I had no idea Coca-cola perpetrated so many human rights abuses and environmental atrocities. It does make RC cola look a lot more appealing. Thanks for the links — I think it’s always good to know more about giant corporations’ practices.
Regards,
Emily
Comment by Emily — October 14, 2007 @ 10:53 pm
I didn’t even know they tested until I heard they were going cruelty -free! I’m glad I stopped drinking it when I was 12!
Comment by Natasha — March 28, 2008 @ 1:09 pm
Me neither! I couldn’t believe it when I first read about it. Good for your for stopping drinking it when you were 12 — I wish I had.
Comment by Emily — March 28, 2008 @ 11:53 pm