The latest food and beverage industry news and trend analysis

Mondelēz International, the parent company behind global snacking giants Oreo and Cadbury, has formally amended its public animal testing policy. The move closes significant regulatory loopholes that previously permitted discretionary animal experimentation for nutritional research purposes.

The policy update follows a sustained period of engagement and campaigning by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) entities, supported by over 63,000 activists.

Policy Overhaul: Expanding the Scope

The revised policy introduces two critical changes to the company's ethical framework:

1. Universal Application: The animal testing policy now applies to ALL testing conducted or commissioned by the company. Previously, the guidelines were restricted only to safety testing for specific products or ingredients, leaving broader research areas unregulated.

   
   

2. Removal of the 'Nutritional Science' Clause: Mondelēz has deleted a specific provision that allowed testing on animals when not required by law, specifically "when it is needed to advance fundamental knowledge in nutritional science and approved non-animal methods are not available."

This specific clause was identified by activists as the mechanism that permitted controversial studies, including experiments involving the force-feeding of mice.

The Campaign for Change

The amendment comes after PETA US exposed details of Mondelēz’s "nutritional science" experiments. The organisation highlighted specific studies where mice were force-fed human faeces, high-fat diets, and glass beads, before being euthanised for dissection.

To drive the policy change, PETA US employed a shareholder activism strategy. The organisation purchased stock in Mondelēz to gain access to the boardroom, questioned executives at annual meetings, and filed a shareholder resolution demanding greater transparency regarding animal use.

Stakeholder Reaction

The update aligns Mondelēz with a growing consumer demand for ethical corporate conduct. PETA has described the move as a "sweet victory," noting that the policy change will prevent future discretionary experiments of this nature and brings the company "into the fold of compassionate businesses that consumers can trust."