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Stop Experimenting on Animals for Health Benefits of Tea
  1. Signatures
    1,178 out of 1,500
    Petitioning
    1. Chairman (+ 1 other)
      Petitioning
      close
      • Chairman (Michael Treschow)
      • CEO (Paul Polman)
  2. Created By
    Michelle Hodkin
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates
How We Won

Jan 31, 2011

In December, PETA UK released a report on gruesome animal experiments being conducted by Unilever -- the maker of Lipton, Lyons and PG tips teas -- just so they could claim that their teas had "health benefits." Over 1,100 Change.org community members spoke out against this gratuitous animal cruelty, and in January, Unilever announced a commitment to end animal testing for their tea brands.

According to a new report by the United Kingdom's People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA UK), tea companies Lipton, PG tips, and Lyons, owned by parent company Unilever, have been testing their products on animals in some of the most gruesome ways imaginable.

The report says that rabbits were fed a diet high in fat to increase cholesterol levels to egregiously high levels and to harden their arteries. Then, the companies fed the animals tea in their water, ostensibly to demonstrate that if the levels decreased, they could market their product as having health benefits. Rabbits weren’t the only test subjects; mice were bred with severe bowel inflammation problems, and then fed tea to see if it helped. And piglets were infected with E. Coli, to give them diarrhea, and I suppose the tea companies felt that their product might have an effect on that, too? 

In any event, even if tea had helped the artificially, intentionally sickened animals, they were all killed afterwards for their trouble. 

Tea companies are using your dollars to fund ridiculous, unnecessary, painful and deadly tests on animals that don't benefit human health but only the company's bottom line. Animals should not have to suffer and die just so large corporations can make specious claims as to their products' health benefits. 

Tell Unilever, the parent company of the Lipton, PG tips, and Lyons tea brands to end their use of useless animal testing. And until they do, vote with your wallet; this winter, curl up with a mug of something else. 

Photo credit: |Chris|

Recent Signatures

Please Stop Experimenting on Animals to Test Health Benefits of Tea

Greetings,

As you may be aware, PETA UK has issued a report stating that your company is responsible for testing its products on animals in some of the most gruesome ways imaginable.

It states that your employees have fed rabbits a high fat diet to increase cholesterol levels to egregiously high levels and to harden their arteries, and that your employees then fed the animals tea in their water, ostensibly to demonstrate that if the levels decreased, you could market your product as having health benefits. Rabbits weren’t the only test subjects; the report also states that your employees bred mice with severe bowel inflammation problems, and then fed them tea to see if it helped, and that your employees infected piglets with E. Coli, to give them diarrhea, too. And that after these experiments, which don’t serve to benefit human health in any way, your employees killed the animals in your care.

People buy your products because they like the taste. But your tea doesn’t taste so great, knowing that animals were harmed and killed to make it. In your case, no amount of animal testing will help human beings suffering from high cholesterol or bowel inflammation, and that makes your employees’ actions completely unnecessary, in addition to cruel.

I urge you to stop testing your products on animals, so that people who have bought your products before, like myself, can continue to buy them. Thank you.

[Your name]

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