There may be something not-so-sweet aboutPepsiCo, Inc.’s operations—and the company seems determined to keep the lid on it. After it was revealed that PepsiCo’s bottling partner in India is tied to an industry where workers violently beat bulls with sticks and whips while forcing them to haul carts illegally overloaded with up to four tons of sugarcane, PETA submitted a shareholder resolution on behalf of a PepsiCo shareholder. We’re demanding that PepsiCo issue a report on how animals are treated in the company’s and its partners’ supply chains.
Instead of addressing the abuse, PepsiCo tried to block the resolution from going to a vote. So PETA Foundation attorneys filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to ensure shareholders get the transparency they, and animals, deserve.
Sorry to Burst Anyone’s Bubble … Some Sugar Comes at a Cruel Cost
Bulls are naturally social, gentle animals who form close friendships and protect their fellow herd members. But in parts of India’s sugar industry, they’re treated like machines. Humans force them to work long, grueling hours under the blazing sun without rest or water. If the bulls “disobey,” slow down, or turn their heads, barbed-wire spikes dig into their faces, and thick ropes tear at their nostrils. Handlers sometimes even work them to death.
This is the hidden cost of “cheap” sugar.
A Flat Promise? Pepsi vs Its Own Standards
PepsiCo’s Global Policy on Animal Welfare states that “Good animal health and proper animal handling and care are essential elements of responsible food production. With all of our farmers, we emphasize responsible animal care and focus on continuous improvement …” The policy also cites the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare: freedom from hunger and thirst; discomfort; pain and injury; fear and distress; and the freedom to express normal behavior. Yet when PETA alerted company leadership to the abuse in India’s sugar industry, they failed to act.
Now, Pepsi is trying to block a shareholder resolution from even appearing on its upcoming annual meeting agenda.
The lawsuit alleges that PepsiCo broke the law by failing to notify a shareholder of the supposed “deficiencies” in her proposal, while later claiming the issues weren’t fixed in time. The shareholder is asking the court to require Pepsi to put the resolution to a vote.
Shareholders deserve the chance to decide whether Pepsi should examine and disclose the treatment of animals in its supply chain.
How PETA Is Helping India’s Bulls
More than 50,000 PETA supporters have called on PepsiCo to require its partners and suppliers to switch to modern eco-tractors. Animal Rahat, a PETA-supported charity in India, has been leading the charge. Through its Sugarcane Industry Mechanization Project, Animal Rahat has replaced bull-driven carts with efficient, cost-effective tractors. Thanks to these efforts, one-third of Maharashtra’s sugar production is now bull-free.
A single tractor can carry up to 18 tons of sugar per trip, far more than a bull-driven cart—boosting farmers’ incomes while sparing animals from suffering.
PepsiCo can—and should—help us drive this transition. Join us in urging Pepsi to go bull-free:
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