What the HELL are they sweetening Pepsi with?

Apparently, the world may never know because the FDA doesn't require them to list what the stuff is and, its used in such small quantities that they don't even have to do tests to prove its safe.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/img/vp51473a4a.jpg[/atsimg]

Pepsi replaces sugar with mystery ingredient


So what exactly is this magic ingredient that will be appearing in a new version of Pepsi, and how is it made? Unfortunately, those questions are hard to answer. Senomyx... refers to them only as 'enhancers' or 'ingredients'... The products work by triggering receptors on the tongue and tricking your taste buds into sensing sweetness — or saltiness or coolness, in the case of the company's other programs...

So are Senomyx's covert ingredients safe? That, too, is anyone's guess... 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. We don't know whether Senomyx did any testing since the company isn't required to submit anything to the FDA.

The Tap Blog

Isn't it lovely; some company invents some new chemical garbage that fools the taste-buds into thinking they're tasting something sweet and we have to take that company's word for it that the stuff is safe?

Welcome to Senomyx

Senomyx is discovering and developing innovative flavor ingredients for the food, beverage, and ingredient supply industries using our unique proprietary technologies. We believe that our novel flavors, flavor modifiers, and bitter blockers will enable our collaborators to improve the nutritional profile of their products and/or achieve a competitive advantage while maintaining or enhancing taste.

Senomyx

This is the same company that had Pepsi shareholders up in arms about their use of aborted fetal cells in flavor testing but, it seems the board gave the shareholders the big middle finger and is planning on using this crap in their product anyway.

We have no idea how people are going to react to this stuff and some studies have shown that artificial sweeteners actually cause MORE weight gain.

As an example, I would point to the evidence now available showing that one of the reasons why artificial sweeteners do not work as advertised is because the taste of sweet itself is tied into your metabolic functioning in a way that we still do not fully understand... As a result, artificially sweetened products, oftentimes boasting zero calories, actually result in greater weight gain than sweetened products when used “in the real world.”

It's easy to forget that the processed, pre-packaged foods and fast food restaurants of today are actually a radical change in terms of the history of food production. Much of what we eat today bears very little resemblance of real food. Many products are loaded with non-nutritive fillers — purposely designed to just “take up space” to make you think you’re getting more than you really are — along with any number of additives. Many additives have been shown to have harmful effects on mood, behavior, metabolic functioning and biochemistry.

Now, with the introduction of untested engineered flavor enhancers, you’re left wondering whether processed foods with “cleaner” labels really are safer and healthier or not... Remember, because Senomyx’ flavor enhancers are used in such low concentrations they are not required to undergo the FDA's usual safety approval process for food additives.

The Tap Blog

It creeps me out that a big corporation like Pepsi is willing to use its customers as guinea pigs for this new, unknown sweetener, all so they can advertize how their soda has fewer calories than the competition.

I guess ethics and caring about the welfare of your customers always comes in second to the pursuit of the almighty dollar.

Aborted fetal cells are sold to American companies and used as "Natural Flavor Enhancers". China is a-okay with ingesting cloned baby matter. It's in anti-aging creams to stamina pills. Enjoy that sweet sweet baby you're drinking.

Senomyx Info

If I don't know what an ingredient is, I certainly wouldn't ingest it.

When soda pop turns into Frankenfood, in which "proprietary technologies" need to be used in order to trick our taste buds, it's time to stop drinking it.

It was poison even before all the secrecy.

reply to post by FortAnthem

I guess ethics and caring about the welfare of your customers always comes in second to the pursuit of the almighty dollar.

Well poisoning your customers isn't really smart business is it?

There's also a fine line when changing a known recipe, change it too much and the customers walk.

See: Victoria Bitter here in Australia.

Originally posted by binkbonk
It was poison even before all the secrecy.

Can't argue with that.

I cut soda out of my diet months ago and lost at least 10 lbs without even trying. Now, I just mix up a pitcher of ice tea flavored with real sugar and I'm good.

reply to post by FortAnthem


Are you a Coke-a-Cola sponsored shill? Looks like to me.

Everyone knows Coke-a-Cola is an evil doer.

What else do you support? the anti-bottle moment? bottles have the rights be made too you know!

Originally posted by Chadwickus


Well poisoning your customers isn't really smart business is it?

There's also a fine line when changing a known recipe, change it too much and the customers walk.

See: Victoria Bitter here in Australia.

You would think they would be more cautious after what happened with the New Coke back in the 80's.

That mess almost shut Coke down but, at least they weren't experimenting with unknown chemicals on their customers. I hope the word of this spreads and it sinks Pepsi Co.

reply to post by FortAnthem


S&F OP!

I was reading some similar info on this two days ago. It seems it isn't just limited to Pepsi, but also includes Kraft and Nestles as well...

Honestly some of that Pepsi flavor reminds me of sweetness that comes from bugs. Like the shell of bugs. Maybe more like that paste you may have eaten as a child. Glue stick. Maybe a strange fungus, or burnt feathers.

Hey but what do I know when I go to the popular cafe and their coffee beans smell like they have horse (mare to be specific) pee on them? The hormone pong in those cafes, from the beans, it smells like a water reclaiming plant from the women's restrooms.

If you had the resources you could put the new formula through a spectrum analyzer and isolate the new flavor from the old flavor. Or you could have doctor privilege, lie about having a patient allergic to new soda and find out by calling the company.

I drink the Throwback, real sugar, variety of Pepsi. I've noticed the sugar grade has gone down in the sweet teas in my region, over burnt, brown sugar not refined (that's fine), so the quality is going way down, but at least it still passes as sugar.

Always better than aspartame which needs a warning label. Better than cellulose no-calorie sweeteners that taste like they came from pine tree wood.

But if this Senomyx is using human parts it's quite unethical for me to ingest that, safe or not. If there are human tissues involved, rendered, safe, or whatever, it still needs a label.

Originally posted by clairvoyantrose
Aborted fetal cells are sold to American companies and used as "Natural Flavor Enhancers".

Not true.
The article you yourself linked to even states what the reality of the situation is.

reply to post by luciddream


I'll admit, I always did prefer Coke to Pepsi but, I've cut that all out of my diet for the most part anymore.

I did used to be a big Mountain Dew drinker. Practically lived off the stuff. Now I can't touch it because it drives my BP haywire.

Originally posted by Chadwickus
reply to post by FortAnthem

 

I guess ethics and caring about the welfare of your customers always comes in second to the pursuit of the almighty dollar.

Well poisoning your customers isn't really smart business is it?

You must inform the drug cartels, and alcohol industry of this. They seem to be out of the loop.

There's also a fine line when changing a known recipe, change it too much and the customers walk.

See: Victoria Bitter here in Australia.

Why do I have an image of a boiling frog in mind? Oh yea, that's because we're not too smart sometimes, and can be conned rather easily. Patience isn't only a virtue, it's a bitch as well.

Originally posted by clairvoyantrose
Aborted fetal cells are sold to American companies and used as "Natural Flavor Enhancers". China is a-okay with ingesting cloned baby matter. It's in anti-aging creams to stamina pills. Enjoy that sweet sweet baby you're drinking.

Senomyx Info

edit on 18/3/2013 by clairvoyantrose because: (no reason given)

No the fetal cells were used to do tests to accomplish the new sweeteners, it is not an additive, still i will never buy their product again!

To be clear, the aborted fetal tissue used to make Pepsi's flavor chemicals does not end up in the final product sold to customers, according to reports -- it is used, instead, to evaluate how actual human taste receptors respond to these chemical flavorings. But the fact that Pepsi uses them at all when viable, non-human alternatives are available illustrates the company's blatant disregard for ethical and moral concerns in the matter. Back in January, Oklahoma Senator Ralph Shortey proposed legislation to ban the production of aborted fetal cell-derived flavor chemicals in his home state. If passed, S.B. 1418 would also reportedly ban the sale of any products that contain flavor chemicals derived from human fetal tissue, which includes Pepsi products as well as products produced by Kraft and Nestle (www.naturalnews.com...). Learn more: www.naturalnews.com...

Originally posted by luciddream
reply to post by FortAnthem

 

Are you a Coke-a-Cola sponsored shill? Looks like to me.

Everyone knows Coke-a-Cola is an evil doer.

What else do you support? the anti-bottle moment? bottles have the rights be made too you know!

I would assume that Coke does the same stuff the Pepsi company does. All colas will follow any new trend if it sells.

BTW I have found that all natural GINGER ALE is great and a good replacement for a soda now and then.

Originally posted by FortAnthem
So are Senomyx's covert ingredients safe? That, too, is anyone's guess... 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.
We don't know whether Senomyx did any testing since the company isn't required to submit anything to the FDA.

This claim by "The Tap Blog" sounds nasty and evil... but is it true?

They cite the Senomyx Regulatory Process as the source of this claim.

Taking a look at that, the major points of the scary claim turn out to be lies.
- It is an Expert Panel of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) that determines whether a product is GRAS, not Senomyx.
- the test results are NOT hidden from the FDA, but instead "the conclusions of the Expert Panel are provided directly to the FDA and published in the journal Food Technology.".

There may be much to be worried about with the food industry, but lying about it is not the way it should be addressed.
I'm sure there are many truthful things to be worried about instead.

---

Edit...
Furthermore, the headline "Pepsi replaces sugar with mystery ingredient " turns out to be a lie as well.
The Tap twisted its info from DrMercola, who twisted that info from a CBS NEWS article which speaks of a NEW cola that is in the pipeline, and not a sugar replacement for current colas.

Also, this article is TWO YEARS OLD now, and its only doing the run of the net because somebody blogged about it in the last few days.

reply to post by clairvoyantrose


You do realise that it was a single foetus from the 70's that HEK293 is derived from right?

They don't use fresh cells every time they need to use HEK293.

reply to post by alfa1

Welcome to FEMA

Since our founding in 1909, we have served the interests of our member organizations through setting formula standards, advocating for policies that positively impact the food and flavor industry, and effectively representing our members’ interests at home and abroad. Today, our expansive membership contributes to the research, development, and marketing of products enjoyed by millions of people around the world.

FEMA Home

FLAVOR AND EXTRACT MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION (FEMA)

Founded in 1909, with three goals. To cooperate, promote, and protect the business interests of its members; to foster and promote good will among its members; and to assist in the enactment and enforcement of laws which in their operation shall deal justly with the rights of flavoring extract manufacturers and consumers.

FEMA has been instrumental in protecting the flavor industry by developing methodology to evaluate and approve flavor ingredients, developing vanilla standards, Trade secret protection, and been active in government regulations that affect flavors and flavor ingredients. FEMA is recognized worldwide as a leader in developing methodology to provide safe flavor ingredients.

Trade organizations

It seems to me that their first priority is protecting their members and promoting their products. I have a hard time believing in the reliability of an organization which is funded by the same people it is purported to be keeping an eye on. The fact that they work with the government to develop the standards they are supposed to enforce also looks kinda shady to me.

reply to post by CommanderCraCra


When you buy a pack of cigarettes, is there not a health warning on it? Same goes for alcohol, same goes for some prescription drugs. And drug cartels don't count as I doubt they're regulated by the FDA...



Putting something potentially deadly in a product and labelling it as such = ok
Putting something potentially deadly in a product and not labelling it as such = not so much.

Like when lead was found in the paint on toys from China, the guy guilty of letting that happened got executed.
That'll be the bad business I speak of...

PepsiCo CEO promises ‘disruptive’ innovation: Novel natural sweeteners, flavorings, could ‘alter the trajectory of our cola business’

Yeah...disruptive to what, our central nervous systems?

Nooyi did not reveal which sweetener or flavor enhancer Pepsi is exploring, or whether it is doing so alone or in partnership with another firm such as Senomyx, with whom Pepsi has been working on a taste modifier called S617 that enhances the sweetness of sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

Senomyx Flavor Programs Glossary:

All of Senomyx's Savory Flavors have GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) regulatory_approval, which allows commercialization in the U.S. and other countries.

Firmenich has exclusive rights to commercialize S6973 worldwide in virtually all food product categories, as well as specific beverage applications and over-the-counter pharmaceutical products. Firmenich initiated commercialization of S6973 in the second quarter of 2011. Commercialization activities with S6973 are ongoing in the Americas, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Australia.

And more on S617,

Most recently, Senomyx advanced S52617 (S617) , a new modifier for both high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and sucrose, into the preliminary development phase. High fructose corn syrup is a widely used sweetener, especially in North America. It is used in products such as baked goods, yogurts, sauces and condiments, beverages and concentrates, granola and energy bars, and canned and frozen fruits. The utility of S617 with both HFCS and sucrose could allow manufacturers that use these sweeteners to focus their internal efforts on a single sweet taste modifier, thereby potentially increasing efficiency and cost-effectiveness.