Friends of Animals Boycotts Juice Company

Friends of Animals members and supporters have spoken. And they don’t want animal testing in their pomegranate juice.

FoA has called for a boycott of POM Wonderful brand juices until the company and its profits cease to be implicated in animal research or testing.

According to an April 2006 report in The New York Times Magazine, POM Wonderful owners Lynda Resnick and Stewart Resnick have funded $15 million in research on the health benefits of pomegranate juice. Friends of Animals members were stunned to learn that some of this money went to animal testing.

POM Wonderful has supported tests published in June 2005 on the effects of the juice on brain injuries in mice and on erectile dysfunction in rabbits.

“POM Wonderful should and can be mindful of the health of all species, not just our own,” said Friends of Animals president Priscilla Feral.

“Why not simply support and cite studies on human populations?” asked Feral. In 2005, Dr Dean Ornish published a paper in the American Journal of Cardiology, looking at blood flow to the heart in 45 patients with blocked arteries who were given a placebo or pomegranate juice.

“Until POM Wonderful makes a public commitment against animal testing, we’ll encourage people to choose a different juice.”

Please contact POM to notify them of your pledge to boycott POM products at:

POM Wonderful
11444 West Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064

Phone: (310) 966-5800

Email: customerservice@pomwonderful.com

01-26-2007 UPDATE:

Last week it was reported that retailers were told that “POM Wonderful pomegranate juice has ceased all animal testing and we have no plans to do so in the future.” This week a large animal welfare organization has reported that POM Wonderful sent the organization a letter stating: “Neither POM Wonderful nor its related entities provide funding for ongoing animal testing on POM Juice (or POM Tea). Moreover, there are no plans to do so in the future.” These statements from POM Wonderful offer little more that hope against hope that the company will no longer use animal testing. Other than these paper victories, there is no evidence that POM Wonderful has ended its reliance on animal testing.

Since September 2006, Friends of Animals has asked consumers to boycott POM Wonderful and drink another brand. Friends of Animals will continue to encourage consumers to choose a more ethical source of pomegranate juice so long as POM Wonderful continues using, supporting or promoting animal research. Presently there is no evidence that POM Wonderful is willing to renounce animal testing. On the contrary, POM Wonderful continues to maintain a “science” section of its website dedicated to touting animal testing as proof of the benefits of pomegranate juice.

Regardless of whether POM Wonderful does not presently commission or plan to commission animal tests, the company has offered no real commitment to opposing future testing. And while POM Wonderful continues to promote previously commissioned research, the company is also free use animal testing results presently being conducted on behalf of a third party. Thus, Friends of Animals see absolutely no evidence that POM Wonderful will not continue to promote and exploit animal experimental testing, even if the company is not presently conducting such testing itself.