How Many Animals Have Died for Your...Tea?

According to a new report by the United Kingdom's People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA UK), tea companies PG tips, Lipton and Lyons have been testing their products on animals in some pretty gruesome experiments that are decidedly not "100% natural."

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. It doesn't get less natural than this.

And this might not be all. Other reports have stated that the Lipton brand uses animal products in their teas — like blood. To dye it the right color.

The companies' silence on these issues are disturbing. Apparently, Lipton did not respond to repeated calls for a statement on the findings. Twinings, however, verified that it doesn’t use animal products or employ animal testing in the making of its products. So if you’re interested in certifiably cruelty-free tea, you might want to switch.

Tea companies are using your dollars to fund ridiculous, unnecessary, painful and deadly tests on animals that don't improve 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.

The National Anti-Vivisection Society has tons of research about the pros and cons of animal testing, which you can read here. But it boils down to this: the physiology of the animals, and the way they are artificially sickened, means that whatever "benefits" Unilever determines their products have mean pretty much nothing for regular people with high cholesterol and irritable bowels who drink Lipton, Lyons, and PG tips teas. If you like their teas, awesome. But if you're drinking it solely to ensure you don't die from a heart attack or stroke, you might need a different kind of help.

Agree? Then tell Unilever, the parent company of the Lipton, PG tips, and Lyons 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: psd