Mondelēz ends nutritional science tests on animals after shareholder pressure

Mondelēz International shareholder PETA US has revealed that the snack manufacturer has agreed to stop funding nutritional science tests on animals. The animal rights group says the experiments being conducted were not legally required and had no impact on the safety or approval of the company’s products.

PETA US applauds Mondelēz for this “compassionate step” and encourages other companies to follow its example by avoiding animal testing in nutritional science. Such experiments, it says, included “forcing mice to eat human feces, chemicals, and glass beads before they were killed and dissected.”

When asked for comment, Mondelēz directed us to its public statement on animal testing, which says that, effective January 2026, “we do not test on animals, nor do we fund or contract with external agencies or research institutions to conduct animal testing unless that testing is required by a government regulatory agency and there is no available alternative.” 

“We are committed to replacing and reducing animal testing and will only engage in animal testing when regulatory agencies require it to demonstrate safety and/or efficacy, and there are no approved non-animal methods available.”

An earlier version of Mondelēz’s animal testing policy (Oct 16, 2025) indicated that animal testing may be conducted “when it is needed to advance fundamental knowledge in nutritional science and approved nonanimal methods are not available.”

Alternatives to animal testing

PETA US says its campaign, which mobilized tens of thousands of supporters, and a letter from international PETA entities persuaded the Oreo manufacturer to stop funding nutritional science experiments on animals.

Last year, PETA US purchased shares in Mondelēz, allowing it to question executives directly at the annual shareholders’ meeting and submit a shareholder resolution demanding transparency in the company’s animal testing policy.

The animal rights group asserts that there is no legal requirement for what constitutes nutritional science, and that more effective non-animal testing methods are available.
Mondelēz owns the popular chocolate brands Cadbury, Milka, and Toblerone.

“No regulatory agency requires animal testing for nutritional science — rather it’s basic curiosity-driven research,” Shalin Gala, vice president of International Laboratory Methods at PETA US, tells Food Ingredients First.

“If the food being investigated is a common human food, clinical research using consenting human volunteers can easily be done. If it’s a novel food being investigated, modern animal-free test methods, such as computer modeling and in vitro methods, can be used to investigate its safety.”

“Regulatory agencies accept a wide variety of these methods. Once deemed safe, human clinical research can be done for nutritional science.”

Consumer demand for animal ethics

Animal welfare is an increasingly important consideration for some consumers. Innova Market Insights found that 30% of global consumers say they look for animal welfare claims when making food and beverage purchases.

According to the market researcher, there has been a 4% increase in F&B launches with ethical animal welfare claims globally between October 2020 and September 2025.

The PETA Cruelty-Free and Vegan Certification helps consumers identify products that are free from animal testing and do not contain any animal-derived ingredients. The certification assures consumers that the products align with ethical values related to animal welfare, sustainability, and health-conscious choices.

“Animal-friendly consumers do not want animals to suffer in laboratories when they buy cookies, chocolate, or crackers,” says PETA campaign advisor Mimi Bekhechi.

In related news, the Institute for In Vitro Sciences has demonstrated how AI can transform human skin safety testing for thousands of chemicals without subjecting animals to experiments.