ITO EN, World's Largest Green Tea Maker, Bans All Animal Tests

Company Makes Compassionate Decision After Talks With PETA

For Immediate Release:
March 18, 2010

Contact:
Shalin Gala 757-622-7382  

Tokyo -- Following more than two years of in-depth discussions with PETA, Japan-based ITO EN, Ltd.--the world's largest green tea manufacturer--has adopted a landmark policy against conducting or funding laboratory tests on animals. With more than $3 billion in annual global sales, ITO EN was ranked by Deloitte among the top 250 global consumer-products companies.

In a letter to PETA, Ikuo Sato, ITO EN's public relations general manager, wrote, "[W]e have decided to stop animal tests on our beverages and foods, considering recent movement and circumstances in other countries on this subject." To PETA's knowledge, ITO EN is the first major Japanese consumer-product company to completely end all animal testing.

"Tea drinkers can raise their cups to ITO EN for modernizing its research policy and sparing animals' lives," says PETA Vice President of Laboratory Investigations Kathy Guillermo. "ITO EN's competitors that have not banned tests on animals should follow the tea maker's progressive lead and eliminate all testing on animals."

ITO EN joins Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Ocean Spray, Welch's, POM Wonderful, and other companies that have ended animal testing after talking with PETA.
 
For more information, please visit PETA.org.