Launching MarsCandyKills.com December 10, 2007

Many of you have heard about our campaign to pressure Mars to stop sponsoring animal tests. We've just launched a site specifically for the campaign so please check it out at MarsCandyKills.com.

Please think twice before picking up a Mars candy bar! You should know that candymaker Mars, Inc.—creator of M&M's, Snickers, Twix, Dove, Three Musketeers, Starburst, Skittles, and other candies—funds deadly animal tests, even though there are more reliable human studies and not one of the tests is required by law.

Mars is currently funding a deadly experiment on rats to determine the effects of chocolate ingredients on their blood vessels. Experimenters force-feed the rats by shoving plastic tubes down their throats and then cut open the rats' legs to expose an artery, which is clamped shut to block blood flow. After the experiment, the animals are killed. Mars has also funded cruel experiments in which mice were fed a candy ingredient and forced to swim in a pool of a water mixed with white paint. The mice had to find a hidden platform to avoid drowning, only to be killed and dissected later on. In yet another experiment supported by Mars, rats were fed cocoa and anesthetized with carbon dioxide so that their blood could be collected by injecting a needle directly into their hearts, which can lead to internal bleeding and other deadly complications.

Please visit MarsCandyKills.com and take action to stop these deadly animal tests.

-Pulin

Posted by Pulin

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Mars: Killing Animals For Candy - Seriously. September 25, 2007

I think you know by now that we try to bring really eye-opening information to the public because industries which exploit animals want people to remain ignorant. We have found that when people learn the truth, they're horrified by cruelty to animals and want to help stop it!

So with that said, we recently uncovered evidence that chocolate-maker Mars Inc.— creator of M&M's, Snickers, and other candies—continues to fund deadly animal tests!

Mars has funded cruel experiments in which mice were fed a candy ingredient and forced to swim in a pool of paint. The mice had to find a platform to try to avoid drowning, only to be later killed and dissected. In another gruesome experiment supported by Mars, rats were fed cocoa and then sedated with carbon dioxide so that blood could be collected through a needle that punctured their hearts!

How messed up is that? And you want proof? Just check out these studies:

*Elizabeth Paisley et al., "Temporal-Regulation of Serum Lipids and Stearoyl CoA Desaturase and Lipoprotein Lipase mRNA in BALB/cHnn Mice," Journal of Nutrition (1996) 126.11: 2730-2737.

*Timothy Orozco et al., "Chronic consumption of a flavanol- and procyanindin-rich diet is associated with reduced levels of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine in rat testes," Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry (2003) 14: 104-10.

*Francene Steinberg et al., "Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Improves Growth and Reproductive Performance in Mice Fed Chemically Defined Diets," Experimental Biology and Medicine (2003) 228: 160-66.

*Henriette van Praag I et al., "Plant-derived flavanol (-)epicatechin enhances angiogenesis and retention of spatial memory in mice." Journal of Neuroscience (2007) 27: 5869-5878.

I will be the first to admit that testing on animals for candy is one of the most moronic things imaginable. But then again, consider that beverage companies including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo were sponsoring animal tests not too long ago (that is before we all pressured them to stop this insanity).

Mars' top competitor, Hershey's, has pledged to PETA that it will not fund or conduct experiments on animals, yet Mars has not adopted this same, humane stance despite our polite letters which you can read here and here. Please send a letter to urge Mars to follow Hershey's lead and immediately end all support for animal tests! Click on the image below to help animals.

-Pulin

Posted by Pulin

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