COCA-COLA QUITS ANIMAL TESTING.........

I left out the more graphic parts of the letter that I received and put in the good stuff. If you feel like it, write to Lipton and tell them how you feel about animal testing that isn't necessary...........


Coca-Cola's senior vice president and chief innovation and technology officer, Danny Strickland, wrote to PETA(PEOPLE FOR ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS) on May 22 and stated, "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."

Strickland also addressed a deadly physiology test on taste reception in rats that PETA had discovered Coca-Cola was funding and said, "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."

Coca-Cola's commitment not to fund tests on animals—and its instruction to its suppliers to use alternatives to animal testing—is a sign of hope for the millions of animals who are forced to endure cruel and unnecessary experiments every year.

Coca-Cola joins PepsiCo, Welch's, Ocean Spray, POM Wonderful, and more than 22 other beverage companies that have pledged to PETA that they will not fund or conduct animal tests.

Yet some food and beverage companies remain behind the times and continue to fund or conduct cruel and outdated tests on animals. Please take a moment to write to Unilever—maker of Lipton Tea and many other food products—and urge the company to follow Coca-Cola's lead in ending cruel animal tests for their foods, beverages, and ingredients.

Please send polite comments to:

Michael B. Polk, Group Vice President and President, Americas
Unilever PLC
700 Sylvan Ave.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
201-894-4000
1-877-995-4483
201-871-8257 (fax)
comments@unilever.com

bump!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!