Important success for animals: The five major food and beverage manufacturers PepsiCo Inc., The Coca-Cola Company, Campbell Soup Company, Sensient Technologies and Fresh Innovations no longer spend money on animal testing. The companies stopped funding cruel and senseless experiments at the University of Wisconsin-Madison after PETA USA contacted them.
The move came after PETA USA informed the companies’ leadership how the university’s Food Research Institute was using their funds: They were force-feeding mice feces contaminated with parasites. In addition, pregnant monkeys were poisoned, killing their unborn babies, and other deadly experiments were carried out.
Coca-Cola has completely stopped its sponsorship. The institute also had to commit to PepsiCo, Campbell Soup Company, Sensient Technologies and Fresh Innovations that they would no longer use their financial resources for animal testing. After the companies mentioned and PETA USA reported to the Food Research Institute, it changed its rules for donors: Companies can now limit their donations so that they cannot be used for animal testing. The institute had previously not allowed this.
“Thanks to Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and other companies, the Food Research Institute has less money for cruel and useless animal testing,” said PETA USA Vice President Shalin Gala. “PETA Germany and PETA USA are calling on other companies like General Mills and Kraft Heinz to follow suit. They should also demand that their funds are never used to torture monkeys, mice or other animals.”
Experimenters funded by the Food Research Institute force-fed pregnant monkeys whipped cream contaminated with listeria. As a result, they killed some of their fetuses. They then cut open the mothers, removed their dead babies and dissected the bodies. Experimenters also force-fed mice feces contaminated with parasites. They then suffocated the animals. They injected other mice with botulinum bacteria and waited until they died.
PETA Germany will celebrate it in 2024 30th anniversary. On this occasion, the organization demands that animals be recognized before the law as persons, i.e. as bearers of interests worthy of protection Fundamental rights receive. PETA’s motto is: Animals are not there to be experimented on, eaten, dressed, entertained, or exploited in any other way. The organization opposes Speciesism a – a form of discrimination in which animals are devalued because of their species.
