Kellogg’s Ends Animal Testing After 65 Years

Cereal brand Kellogg Company (doing business as Kellogg’s) recently agreed to end all unnecessary animal testing within its corporation. Animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) estimates that Kellogg’s has been conducting studies on animals for at least 65 years and has petitioned the cereal maker to ban animal testing since 2007. “The global food industry is recognizing that no marketing claim can possibly excuse force-feeding, poisoning, suffocating, and killing gentle rats and other animals in cruel and deadly tests,” PETA Vice President Shalin Gala said. According to PETA, studies supported by Kellogg’s—during which animals were force-fed, mutilated, and dissected in an effort to establish health-related claims—resulted in the death of 1,213 rats and 60 hamsters from 1995 to 2016. Kellogg’s denies claims that it has engaged in such tests, stating, “Kellogg does not conduct, fund, support, or condone the use of animal testing for food products or ingredients that are not required for food safety or quality.” Kellogg’s will publish its commitment to end animal testing in its 2019 corporate responsibility report. In keeping with consumer trends, Kellogg’s has recently pivoted in a more vegan-friendly direction. In September, Kellogg’s-owned MorningStar Farms reformulated its “Chik’N” line without animal products and debuted vegan Buffalo Wings, Chik’N Nuggets, Buffalo Chik Patties, and Original Chik Patties at retailers nationwide.  In the United Kingdom, the company, under its W.K. Kellogg brand, introduced its vegan-labeled No Sugar Added Granola featuring dried carrots—the first time it has added vegetables into a breakfast cereal in 113 years.