Colorado State University Force-Fed Mice Human Feces in Cruel Blueberry Experiment, PETA Reveals
For Immediate Release:
October 21, 2025
Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382
PETA today calls on Colorado State University (CSU) to stop conducting cruel and unscientific experiments on animals for blueberries—including feeding human waste to animals—and adopt state-of-the-art, human-relevant research methods instead.
The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council bankrolls experiments on animals at two universities in an apparent effort to boost blueberry sales. In one study at CSU published last year, experimenters force-fed mice blueberries and human feces from postmenopausal women with high blood pressure. In another at Texas Woman’s University published in 2025, experimenters injected a chemical into rats’ knee joints to induce painful osteoarthritis, fed them blueberries, starved them, and killed them by severing their arteries.
“There is no scientific reason to shove human poop down the throats of terrified mice to sell blueberries,” says PETA Vice President Shalin Gala. “The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council must join the 21st century and adopt state-of-the-art, animal-free testing methods that will actually benefit humans.”
PETA’s letter explains that animals are scientifically unfit “models” for human food research, given the numerous physiological differences between species. Federal science and regulatory agencies openly acknowledge the failures of experimenting on animals and have adopted key components of PETA’s Research Modernization NOW, a strategic plan for a transition to animal-free science.
Rats are empathic, family-oriented individuals who will put themselves in harm’s way to save someone else. Male mice woo their mates with love songs, and baby rats giggle when they’re tickled. Both are complex, unique, social individuals with the capacity to experience a wide range of emotions. They easily bond with their human guardians and return as much affection as is given to them.
The Hass Avocado Board, the National Mango Board, and the National Watermelon Promotion Board have all adopted policies banning the funding of tests on animals after pressure from PETA.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
