Pepsi Uses Aborted Fetal Cells for Flavoring

The Facts About Aborted Baby Cells in Pepsi Drinks

So far, researchers using aborted fetal cell lines haven’t been able to cure paralysis or reverse the effects of Parkinson’s disease, but they may be able to make diet sodas taste better. Aborted cells are now used in the development of artificial flavor enhancers by biotech company Senomyx, with which PepsiCo signed a four-year, $30 million agreement in 2010 for research and development. No Pepsi products containing Senonymx flavor enhancers should be expected until 2013. Senomyx’s disputed cell line is HEK-293 is derived from the kidney cells of an aborted baby.  [1] [22] Senomyx develops patented flavor enhancers by using “proprietary taste receptor-based assay systems.” These receptors are made from HEK293. HEK stands for Human Embryonic Kidney cells. These cells, which were cloned, originally came from healthy, electively aborted human embryos. Using information from the human genome sequence, Senomyx has identified hundreds of taste receptors and currently owns 113 patents on their discoveries. [1] “Senomyx gives its products opaque names like S2383 and S6973 and refers to them only as ‘enhancers’ or ‘ingredients’ — it doesn’t like the word ‘chemical,’” explains Melanie Warner from CBS News. “The company says that many of its enhancers have ‘been granted’ GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status, but all that means is that the company did its own assessment and then concluded everything was fine.” [24] Debi Vinnedge, of the pro-life group Children of God for Life, explained, “What they don’t tell the public is that they are using HEK 293 – human embryonic kidney cells taken from an electively aborted baby to produce those receptors. They could have easily chosen animal, insect, or other morally obtained human cells expressing the G protein for taste receptors.” [22]  “The company’s key flavor programs focus on the discovery and development of savory, sweet and salt flavor ingredients that are intended to allow for the reduction of MSG, sugar and salt in food and beverage products,” the Senomyx web site says. “Using isolated human taste receptors, we created proprietary taste receptor-based assay systems that provide a biochemical or electronic readout when a flavor ingredient interacts with the receptor.” [22]

Pepsi Denies that They Uses Fetal Cells

PepsiCo initially declined to comment on the issue, but in the weeks since its SEC victory, the food and beverage giant has contacted pro-life advocates and media to deny the accusations. [23] Jeff Dahncke, PepsiCo senior director for communications, thanked The Washington Times in an email for “giving us the opportunity to clarify misperceptions and erroneous media reports on the topic.” [23] In a statement to LifeNews, Mr. Dahncke also denied speculation that sweeteners developed by Senomyx had been used in the recipe for Pepsi NEXT, a low-calorie cola with 60 percent less sugar than a standard Pepsi. The drink is being launched this week. [23]  Ms. Vinnedge called the PepsiCo denial “pure deception.”  She said she found HEK-293, a “human embryo kidney” cell line produced from an aborted fetus in the 1970s, in more than 70 Senomyx patents, all related to flavor enhancers.  [23]“What Pepsi is doing is saying that they’re not taking the cells directly from a fetus. Well, that’s true, they’re taking them from a lab,” Ms. Vinnedge said. “They’re doing this with semantics to get around what they’re really doing.” [23]  PepsiCo will continue their efforts to keep the controversy quiet, but the pro-life community’s boycott of Pepsi products and exposing the outrage isn’t going to lose its fizz anytime soon.

Pro-Life Groups Calls for a Boycott

More than a dozen pro-life groups launched a boycott of Pepsi products that has since spread to 11 nations, including Canada, Poland and Australia, as well as much of Western Europe. [4] It was an organization names Children of God for Life that have started the boycott effort, which had grown to include more than 30 pro-life organizations worldwide, last May and had engaged in a long back-and-forth with PepsiCo. [4]  According to a report by LifeNews.com at the time, Pepsi had “ignored concerns and criticism from dozens of pro-life groups and tens of thousands of pro-life people who voiced their opposition to PepsiCo contracting with biotech company Senomyx even after it was found to be testing their food additives using fetal cells from abortions.” [21] [23] A lot of our  letters going unanswered, Vinnedge told LifeNews, the time has come for a resolution form shareholders. “Shareholders have a right to know the truth about what PepsiCo is doing with their hard-earned savings,” she said. “PepsiCo’s lack of consideration to the public’s moral sensibilities has only served to fuel the fire and threatens stock values, retirement pensions and investments.” [22] Vinnedge said she has heard from many pro-life advocates upset by the information about Pepsi — including one 12-year-old Florida boy who learned of PepsiCo’s research from his mom’s prolife news reports and was upset enough to take action himself. At a recent 40 Days for Life event, he told attendees, “When I found out about this, I was sick to my stomach. […] I decided I wouldn’t let this happen so I came up with a way to boycott Pepsi products called United Schools for Life. This program will attempt to remove all Pepsi products from the schools in our diocese,” Gene, who hopes to educate others about what Pepsi is doing, said. Vinnedge was deeply moved by his initiative and courage. [22]  “We hope that PepsiCo senior management gives serious consideration to what this boy has done,” she noted. “Even a child knows this is wrong. God bless him for standing up for the unborn who have no voice of their own!” [22]

After contacting Pepsi with their concerns, the beverage and food products company responded via email to pro-life advocates with an unsigned form response from “Pepsi Consumer Relations.” [22]  “Thank you for contacting us to share your sincere concerns,” the PepsiCo response says. “Please be assured that PepsiCo is committed to using only the highest ethical methods in all aspects of our research. This is something we take very seriously, and we hold ourselves and all of our research partners to the same high standards as the world’s leading research centers.” [22] The email continues:  “With respect to the flavor discovery research with Senomyx, we utilize techniques that have been the gold standard for several decades by top universities, hospitals, U.S. government agencies, food and beverage companies, and essentially every pharmaceutical and biotech company in the world. Yet, there is some misinformation being circulated meant to distort what we’re doing and question our motives and those of other companies. This is unfortunate, and it is certainly not reflective of the work we are doing. We hope this information is helpful and reassuring. Thank you again for reaching out to us and allowing us to clarify the situation.” [22] In comments to LifeNews.com, Vinnedge says this is the latest example of PepsiCo avoiding or glossing over the criticism it receives. “It seems that PepsiCo is simply not able to understand the concerns of consumers as they respond to their complaints with deceptive form letters,” she said. [22] Pro-life organizations are asking the public to boycott all Pepsi drink products and encourage consumers to contact Pepsi management requesting that they sever all ties with Senomyx. Consumers are also encouraged to contact Campbell Soup and thank them for responding to pro-life concerns.  Pro-life groups joining Children of God for Life in the boycott to date are:  American Life League, Life Issues Institute, Concerned Women for America, Colorado Right to Life, American Right to Life, Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute, ALL Arizona, Central Nebraskans for Life, Pro-Life Waco, Houston Coalition for Life, Mother and Unborn Baby Fox Valley, Womankind, Billboards for Life, Movement for a Better America, Defenders of the Unborn, Focus Pregnancy Help Center, Idaho Chooses Life, EMC Frontline Pregnancy Centers of NY, Four Seasons for Life, CREDO,  Life Choices, STOPP Dallas, CA Right To Life, Human Life Alliance, International Right to Life Federation, Operation Rescue, the National Black Pro-Life Union, Black Students for Life, and Pro-Life Nation. LifeNews.com has joined the boycott call as well.

Pepsi Denies Shareholders Oversight on “Business Operations”

A PepsiCo shareholder had filed a resolution with the Securities and Exchange Commission in an effort halt the company from contracting with Senomyx, which used cell lines derived from aborted babies in its process of producing artificial flavor enhancers. [21] [22] The PepsiCo shareholder who filed the resolution requested that “the Board of Directors adopt a corporate policy that recognizes human rights and employs ethical standards which do not involve using the remains of aborted human beings in both private and collaborative research and development agreements.” [22]  Ironically, PepsiCo’s own Code of Conduct boasts that they “deal with customers, suppliers, the public and our competitors in an ethical and appropriate manner.” [22] But like Debi Vinnedge has noted, “There is nothing ethical or appropriate in the way they are exploiting the remains of an innocent aborted child.” [22]  An attempt to bring a resolution on the issue before PepsiCo shareholders for a vote failed after the Securities and Exchange Commission ruled Feb. 28 that the research and development agreement with Senomyx fell under the category of “ordinary business operations.” [4] PepsiCo attorney George A. Schieren said the proposed resolution “deals with matters related to the company’s ordinary business operations.” [4] He said these operations “are so fundamental to run a company on a day-to-day basis that they could not be subject to stockholder oversight.” [4] The ruling stunned pro-life advocate Debi Vinnedge, who led a similar effort in 2003 against the pharmaceutical firm Merck & Co., which uses aborted fetal cell lines in the manufacture of some vaccines. In that case, the SEC allowed the proxy vote, rejecting Merck’s “ordinary business” argument. “The SEC let us take Merck to task over using fetal cell lines in vaccines, so we’re shocked that the SEC would not allow it with something as simple as a flavor enhancer,” said Ms. Vinnedge, executive director of Children of God for Life, which fights the use of aborted embryonic and fetal cells in research. [1]

Pepsi Backs-Off and Assures People that They Would no Longer Use an Aborted Fetal-Cell Line to Develop Flavor Enhancers

Debi Vinnedge, executive director of Children of God for Life (COGFL), announced that in late April she had received a letter from Paul Boykas, PepsiCo’s vice president for Global Public Policy, confirming that the company will not allow the use of HEK-293 — a cell line derived from human embryonic kidney. [21] Consequently, most pro-life group called off their yearlong boycott of Pepsi products  after the soft-drink giant provided assurances it would no longer use an aborted fetal-cell line to develop flavor enhancers. [4]  Debi Vinnedge wrote on the group’s website: “We are absolutely thrilled with PepsiCo’s decision, […] They have listened to their customers and have made both a wise and profound statement of corporate integrity that deserves the utmost respect, admiration and support of the public.” [4]  In a letter to the group, Paul Boykas, PepsiCo vice president for global public policy, explained the company does no research that uses embryos or fetal cells and that Senomyx will not use the HEK line for Pepsi products. [4] We remember that the corporation previously denied using embryo or fetal tissue in various ways that pro-lifers dismissed as lawyerly spin. But Mrs. Vinnedge told The Washington Times that the latest letter seemed evasion-proof.  “When they said they would not use HEK cell lines in their most recent letter – well, that is the hallmark for Senomyx research. So that was majorly different than what they had said in the past,” she explained. [4]