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Peta has already been the reason that Welches, Ocean Spray, PepsiCo, and POM Wonderful have stopped testing their products on animals. Today, another huge victory was announced. Coca-Cola has also put an end to all animal testing.

Coca-Cola has had a history of conducting invasive and deadly animal experiments—including cutting open chimpanzees’ faces in order to conduct taste tests and force-feeding chemicals to rats to test “caramel color”—none of which is necessary or required by law.

Coca-Cola’s senior vice president and chief innovation and technology officer, Danny Strickland, wrote the following to PETA on May 22, 2007:

“I want to assure you that The Coca-Cola Company 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.”

Strickland also wrote to PETA concerning a deadly physiology test on sour taste reception in rats that we learned Coca-Cola was funding:

“Recently senior management became aware that research involving rats was being conducted as part of a grant we had funded at Virginia Commonwealth University to study taste reception. We have contacted the University and have discontinued our funding.”

This is huge news and it is a glimmer of hope for the millions of animals who are needlessly tortured year after year.

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May 15, 2007

by Julia Barnes

The momentum to stop the Canadian commercial seal hunt continues to build in Europe as this year’s slaughter of baby seals draws to a close. The Canadian government continues to ignore the steadily growing opposition from around the world, but European citizens and legislators are stepping up efforts to end the cruel hunt for good.

The European Parliament has called for a full European Union ban on harp and hooded seal products, a move that will see one of the biggest markets for seal pelts close. The European Commission has committed to undertaking a study on the humane aspects of the hunt, the results of which will provide the foundation for the legislation.

Many individual countries have also taken action. Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Luxembourg, Croatia, Panama and Mexico have all either banned seal products or announced their intention to do so. They join the United States, which has prohibited seal product trade since 1972.

There is overwhelming support for the bans from the European public, and citizens have begun to demand action against Canada’s cruel commercial hunt in other European nations as well.

As global markets for cruel seal products continue to close, many people believe an end is finally in sight for Canada’s commercial seal hunt.

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