PepsiCo Shareholder Resolution filed over use of aborted fetal cell lines
In August 2010, PepsiCo entered into a 4 year agreement with Senomyx for the development of artificial high-potency sweeteners for PepsiCo beverages. Under the contract, PepsiCo is paying $30 million to Senomyx for the research and will subsequently pay royalties on PepsiCo products sold using the Senomyx technology.
When the prolife group wrote both companies requesting they use one of the many non-objectionable and viable cell lines listed in their patents, Senomyx did not respond. PepsiCo did reply however - that this research would produce “great tasting, lower-calorie beverages”.
Appalled by the cavalier response, Children of God for Life launched a massive boycott joined by over two dozen other prolife organizations. The boycott has now grown to include supporters from Australia, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Scotland, Poland and the UK.Meanwhile, letters from the organization to all PepsiCo Board Members and Senior Management have gone unanswered.
“Shareholders have a right to know the truth about what PepsiCo is doing with their hard-earned savings”, stated Children of God for Life Executive Director, Debi Vinnedge. “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.”
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.”
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”.
“There is nothing ethical or appropriate in the way they are exploiting the remains of an innocent aborted child,” noted Vinnedge.
One 12 year old Florida boy who learned of PepsiCo’s research from his mom’s prolife news reports was upset enough to take action himself. At a 40 Days for Life kickoff, Gene spoke passionately to the audience.
“When I found out about this, I was sick to my stomach,” he said. “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 hopes to spread his mission through the entire state.
Vinnedge was deeply moved by his initiative and courage.
“We hope that PepsiCo senior management gives serious consideration and heartfelt reflection of 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!”
For further information on the boycott and the Shareholder Resolution.
For more information on Gene’s work contact lrosa@tampabay.rr.com
http://www.cogforlife.org/pepsiresolutionpress.htm
www.cogforlife.org
Biotech company using aborted fetal cell lines to test its flavor enhancers
(Largo, FL) 'Children of God for Life' is calling on the public to boycott products of major food companies that are partnering with Senomyx, a biotech company that produces artificial flavor enhancers, unless the company stops using aborted fetal cell lines to test their products.
In 2010, the pro-life organization wrote to Senomyx CEO Kent Snyder, pointing out that moral options for testing their food additives could and should be used. But when Senomyx ignored their letter, they wrote to the companies Senomyx listed on their website as "collaborators" warning them of public backlash and threatened boycott. Food giants Pepsico, Kraft Foods, Campbell Soup, Solae and Nestlé are the primary targets of the boycott, though Senomyx boasts other international partners on their website.
Senomyx website states that “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....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.”
Senomyx notes their collaborators provide them research and development funding plus royalties on sales of products using their flavor ingredients.
“What they do not tell the public is that they are using HEK 293 – human embryonic kidney cells taken from an electively aborted baby to produce those receptors”, stated Debi Vinnedge, Executive Director for 'Children of God for Life', a pro-life watch dog group that has been monitoring the use of aborted fetal material in medical products and cosmetics for years.
“They could have easily chosen COS (monkey) cells, Chinese Hamster Ovary cells, insect cells or other morally obtained human cells expressing the G protein for taste receptors”, Vinnedge added.
In writing to their collaborators, it took three letters before Nestlé finally admitted the truth about their relationship with Senomyx, noting the cell line was “well established in scientific research".
After hearing Ms Vinnedge speak publicly on the problem, angry consumers began writing the companies. Both Pepsico and Campbell Soup immediately responded.
Shockingly, Pepsico wrote: “We hope you are reassured to learn that our collaboration with Senomyx is strictly limited to creating lower-calorie, great-tasting beverages for consumers. This will help us achieve our commitment to reduce added sugar per serving by 25% in key brands in key markets over the next decade and ultimately help people live healthier lives.”
Campbell Soup was more concerned in their response: “Every effort is made to use the finest ingredients and develop the greatest selection of products, all at a great value. With this in mind, it must be said that the trust we have cultivated and developed over the years with our consumers is not worth compromising to cut costs or increase profit margins.
While Campbell did not state they would change their methods, still their response, gave Vinnedge hope.
“If enough people voice their outrage and intent to boycott these consumer products, it can be highly effective in convincing Senomyx to change their methods”, she noted.
Click here to read the response letters from Pepsico, Campbell Soup and Nestlé letters (Letter 1, 2, 3)
http://www.cogforlife.org/senomyxalert.htm
