Got a sweet tooth? Think twice before picking up a Mars bar! You should know that candymaker Mars, Inc – the creator of M&M's, Snickers and other sweets – continues to fund deadly animal tests, despite the fact that more reliable human tests are available and that none of the tests are required by law.
Mars in the US has recently funded a deadly University of California experiment on rats to determine the effects of chocolate ingredients on blood vessels. Experimenters force-fed the rats by shoving plastic tubes down their throats and then cut open the rats' legs to expose arteries, which were clamped shut to block blood flow. After the experiment, the animals are killed. Mars' US division has also funded other cruel experiments. Mice were fed a confectionery ingredient and forced to swim in a pool of paint and water. The mice had to find a hidden platform to avoid drowning, and after the experiment they were killed and dissected. In yet another experiment supported by Mars, rats were fed cocoa and then anaesthetised with carbon dioxide. Their blood was collected by having needles jabbed directly into their hearts, which can lead to internal bleeding and other deadly complications.
Mars' US division is also lying to the public, claiming that Mars doesn't fund cruel animal tests for foods, even though PETA US have uncovered a history of such experiments – including the current programme at the University of California.
Mars' top competitor in the US, Hershey's, has pledged that it will not fund or conduct experiments on animals. Please urge Mars to follow Hershey's lead and immediately end all support for animal tests!
Mars UK produces Bounty, Galaxy, Celebrations, M&M's, Mars, Snickers, Twix, Topic, Milky Way, Tracker, Revels, Starburst and Skittles as well as Tunes and Lockets.
You can contact Mars, Inc's American office directly using the form below. Personalised letters always work best: feel free to use the text we've provided, but your message will carry more weight if you use your own words. If you do this, be sure to keep it polite and factual.
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