This Halloween, cruelty-free champions Lucy and Tiffany Watson have teamed up with Humane Society International (HSI) UK to expose the spooky truth about what’s really inside some trick or treat sweets.
In a campaign video launched today, the sisters dress in Halloween costumes to raise awareness that many jelly sweets contain gelatine, a substance made of boiled up bones, skin, ligaments and tendons of pigs and cows, many of whom will have suffered horrific lives on factory farms.
On factory farms, animals are crammed together, often kept in cages and crates where they are unable to see sunlight, breathe fresh air or even fully extend their limbs. In the UK, around 2.6 million cattle and 10 million pigs, are killed each year. A large amount of gelatine in sweets sold in the UK also comes from animals bred and slaughtered overseas, including in countries that have little or no animal protection laws, such as China.
Lucy and Tiffany donned their black cat and Harley Quinn costumes, and took to a spooky set to explain how gelatine is produced and why it should be avoided. Gelatine is found in many big brands of sweets, it can also be found in cosmetics, candles, cakes, sports drinks, ice cream, and yogurts where it acts as a gelling agent.
Lucy Watson said “No one looks at jelly sweets in their colourful packaging and thinks that they might contain parts of animals who have spent their entire lives suffering on factory farms. It’s especially weird when you’re buying sweets that look like cute animals but they actually contain animal parts such as bones, skin and tissue!”
Tiffany Watson said “I hope this video helps people make more informed decisions about the sweets they are giving out to trick or treaters this Halloween. The thought of children unwittingly eating bits of pig and cow disguised in gummy sweets is super scary.”
Humane Society International UK Executive Director Claire Bass said “Halloween sweets in the shape of teeth, eyeballs and skulls are alarmingly close to the reality of their ingredients in some cases. Gelatine production is like something from a horror film, huge vats of gloopy grey sludge bubbling with bits of skin, bones and other animal body parts, so it’s not surprising that more and more shoppers are opting for the many gelatine-free sweets now available. Gelatine production is often part of the factory farming industry that is driving demand for, and profiting from, animals being bred and killed in cruel conditions, so opting for gelatine-free sweets and products is the best way to ensure you’re not buying into that suffering.”
The good news is that you don’t need to use gruesome ingredients to make sweets. There are many vegan alternatives that are just as delicious, but instead of the body parts of animals, use animal friendly ingredients like agar-agar and carrageen, both derived from seaweed.
