Call for uniform cruelty-free standards

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, January/February 1996:

WASHINGTON D.C.––The
National Consumers League and the
Massachusetts SPCA have asked U.S.
Commissioner of Food and Drugs David
Kessler to follow the lead of the European
Community in requiring that “any reference
to testing on animals” in product
labeling or advertising “state clearly
whether the tests carried out involved the
finished product and/or its ingredients.”
Consumer surveys done for the
NCL and MSPCA found that while 63%
of women prefer to buy cruelty-free health
and beauty aid products, many are confused
by the six different types of “cruelty-free”
claims in common use, many of
which conceal certain kinds of animal
testing. Lists of cruelty-free companies
circulated by animal protection groups are
rarely up-to-date and accurate. The NCL
and MSPCA said 90% of women would
favor a uniform cruelty-free standard.