PSFC (No) Animal Testing List

Howdy readers!


We finally have some substantial research to post here for your use regarding which co-op products are not tested on animals and which are.

The good news is that many of the products we carry are registered as cruelty-free either with Leaping Bunny (more stringent) or Cruelty-Free (less stringent).  You can find an overview of the two no-animal-testing certifications and information about company policies we created at that link.

The bad news is that there are still a number of products we carry that are produced by companies who still test on animals. 

Our spreadsheet:

The spreadsheet lists the majority of the items carried in aisles 4 and 5 -- household and personal care products.  The US doesn't require any company to test household or personal care products on animals and PSFC's Environmental Policy says that we avoid carrying products tested on animals.  (Specifically that one of the criteria for co-op products is:  "Avoiding animal testing by seeking products which have not been tested on animals.")





Since this is in a Googledoc, you can search for a particular brand...or just poke around. If you notice items in aisles 4 and 5 that are not on this list, please let us know.  We are currently researching the legal requirements for animal testing on both medicines/bandages and insecticides/pesticides to see if we can provide more clarity on those products for you.

Gray Area:

You'll notice that some of the research doesn't show a yes or no answer -- for instance, Tom's of Maine is owned by a company that does test on animals but has stated that their Tom's of Maine line is free from animal testing or ingredients tested on animals.  For some shoppers, that is good news and they consider Tom's of Maine to be free of animal testing and are willing to purchase.  For others, they'd prefer if the parent company of the brand they're buying doesn't test any of their personal care/household products on animals.

Even More Gray Area!

To further muddy the waters, there are companies' whose brands encompass products that have a legal requirement for animal testing to be on the market and who had a company policy their household/personal care products not being tested on animals -- and we've noted that. We've also noted where a brand encompasses all of these things and has not taken care to publish a policy regarding their household/personal care items being free of animal testing.

Onward!

Clearly there's much more work to be done.  You'll notice that there is also a pet food tab on this spreadsheet - it's in our purview to research animal treatment policies for farm animals who end up in our pet food in addition to filling out the household and personal care item research more fully.

Since we are nearing a more robust set of research around food co-op products, we'll be in discussion with the co-op staff and you (via General Meetings) regarding the best way to distribute this information.  Sharing this online is just one way to distribute the information but not everyone reads this blog, knows the committee exists or is online.

We've gotten some feedback already that:
  1. People would like to see this info in the aisles the products are in
  2. People don't want to just see "negative" labeling (i.e. items tested on animals)
  3. People don't want the shelves taken over with "this product not tested on animals" labels (positive labeling)
  4. The desire for any resource material (ex. a binder with this information) to be placed in an area that is not going to impede co-op food traffic if someone stops to read it

So we'll need to figure that out together!

Jesse

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