Pack of PETA ‘Beagles’ to Blast Itasca-Based Ajinomoto for Deadly Animal Tests

For Immediate Release:
April 11, 2024

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

Tomorrow, PETA supporters wearing beagle masks will unveil a massive banner proclaiming, “Ajinomoto: Stop Testing on Animals!” at the local headquarters of Ajinomoto Co. Inc. to condemn the company’s deadly experiments on dogs, pigs, mice, rats, and other animals. Ajinomoto is the world’s largest manufacturer of monosodium glutamate (MSG).

When: Friday, April 12, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

Where: Ajinomoto North America Inc., 250 E. Devon Ave. (at the intersection with Berkenshire Lane), Itasca

PETA is also urging the National Restaurant Association, which gave several 2024 Food and Beverage Awards to Ajinomoto, not to recognize the company further until it agrees to stop funding, conducting, and commissioning all tests on animals that aren’t explicitly required by law.

“Ajinomoto ruthlessly harms and kills animals in gruesome tests that poison the global food and beverage industry’s reputation,” says PETA Vice President Shalin Gala. “PETA is urging the National Restaurant Association to reconsider positive recognition of the company until it stops tormenting and killing animals.”

Ajinomoto experimenters have cut open dogs’ stomachs, starved them, and fed them MSG; forced mice to fight each other, cut their nerves, and injected them with toxic drugs; inserted tubes into day-old piglets’ arteries and starved them; and electroshocked rats, among other pointless procedures. Dozens of other food and beverage companies around the world have stopped contributing to animal tests after talking with 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 the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.