Mars

[kazzy_cee]

Not the planet - the manufacturer of chocolate bars etc. Thanks to oldgreymare for pointing me in the direction of this website following my posting about the delicious chocolate drink I'd found

Comments

[frenchani]

Have you seen "We feed the world" or any documentary on industrial breeding? It's just awful, the way animals are treated, especially pigs and chickens.

I wish I were brave enough to be a vegetarian.

[kazzy_cee]

I've seen similar programmes. There were some programmes recently about chicken/egg farming on the TV here. I always buy organic free range eggs (and have done for years) but it's so hard to avoid manufacturers who use battery farmed eggs.

I wish I was wealthy enough to buy everything organically raised, but realistically I can't afford it with 2 huge children to feed!

[frenchani]

I know it's very expensive and I can't afford it either.

*sigh*

[petzipellepingo]

That's why I make a real effort to eat as much pasture raised meat as possible. Petzi Sis will never give up meat so I have to work around that and buy organic and/or pasture raised products as well as products that are supposed to treat animals properly.

[kazzy_cee]

Over here it's so expensive to buy organic products. I try and do as much as I can, and there are definitely some products I avoid, but sometimes I just have be realistic and realise I can't afford it (especially with huge teenage sons to feed!).

[bendy1]

Yes, that. I'd be prepared to pay more but it's *so much* more.

*moves to the country*

[kazzy_cee]

*moves to the country and hires a gardener*

I want Jamie Oliver's garden....

[speakr2customrs]

Quite apart from the ethical considerations the reason they carry out such tests is because they are replacing some of the natural ingredients with synthetic chemical 'flavanoids'. They're testing those synthetics to find out if they're poisonous - if they just stuck to using chocolate they wouldn't need to do the tests at all.

Not that the tests mean anything anyway, if they're carrying them out on mice and rats; after all, organic chocolate is a deadly poison to dogs, and if you want a pregnant rat to have healthy bouncing babies you give it Thalidomide. Animals aren't people. The only way to find out for sure if something is harmful to humans is to test it on humans. I nominate Levi Bellfield as the best subject for the test with the white paint, the ledge, and the killing and dissecting afterwards.

[kazzy_cee]

I agree with you - the physiology of animals/humans are so different, that you can't compare the effects of chemicals on them. Testing on humans is the best option IMO.

Don't even get me started on the fact that dosages for children's medication are only calculated, and have never been properly tested to make sure the dosages are safe.....

[peasant_]

First rule about animal ethics - don't believe anything you read on a website. Seriously, it is always more complicated.

On the other hand Green and Blacks are definitely of teh good and well worth supporting. Except personally I favour Montezuma's more - same responsible attitudes, tastier chocolate.

[kazzy_cee]

I realise that that Mars website is inflammatory, and went to check out more information myself anyway - don't worry I rarely consider anything on the web to be true and accurate (one of the side effects of teaching research skills to my students!).

Having said that - there is an element of truth behind the headlines.

I haven't tried Montezuma's (don't think I've seen that selling locally). Thanks for the recommendation - although they don't go quite as rich as G&B (I love their 80% cocoa solids choccy), I'll give them a go.

[peasant_]

Glad you checked it out thoroughly - I was surprised at you seeming to have just accepted something so fringe, it didn't seem like you. :o)

I think Montezuma's is still mostly local to us, the firm is in Sussex so they haven't spread far yet, we mostly get it from farm shops and the like.

Have you seen there is an entire programme about a small chocolate manufacturer on C4 tonight.

[kazzy_cee]

I shall definitely be ordering some Motezumas chocolate online to try. I definitely haven't seen it around here.

You read my mind about the chocolate programme! There are even recipes on the Ch4 webpage for the programme ;)

[bluekaty]

I'm basically vegetarian and definitely against tests on animals. I occasionally have Mars candies but I'll stop buying them now.

[kazzy_cee]

Mars were going to switch to using animal rennet in their products last year, but there were so many complaints they've stayed using vegetarian rennet. That was the first time I stopped trusting them. Definitely not going to buy anything but organic chocolate from now on I think :)