Thread: Pepsi uses fetus cells?

Well that's what some would have you believe. However, for anyone with deductive reasoning skills it should be obvious there is a clear and distinct difference between HEK cloned cell-lines, which derive from a single 40 year old cell, and a fetus. And despite the initial ruse I'm happy to say aborted babies do not make it into pepsi, although that would have explained the foul aftertaste.

For those of you unfamiliar with what I'm talking about please follow the link

snopes.com: Pepsi Uses Fetal Cells?

regardless of the facts there are still a plethora of religious and other anti-abortion zealots sensationalizing this non-issue as another reason to hate Obama (not that there aren't any) but more importantly to fuel their anti-abortion hatred and the hatred of science. Don't believe me? simply google "fetus, pepsi, obama" and you'll fullfil your unscientific fantasies of Obama's cannibal nature towards murdered babies. And probably something about socialism..

The fact is HEK cells derive from a single kidney cell of an aborted fetus in the early 1970's and have been used since in pharmaceutical research to test metabolic reactions of chemicals in human models, and in the case of Pepsi, HEK cells are used as "taste receptores" when measuring the amount of "flavor ingredients" the company should use in their product.

I imagine this wouldn't be much of an issue if the cell-line was derived from mice or a chimp, but in that case the biology wouldn't be human and therefor, I suppose, not as reliable in testing products for humans?? feel free to fact check that one... but in that sense I guess I can see why a human embryonic cell line is useful in terms of accurately testing and measuring chemicals for human consumption over cells derived from chimps..

beyond the sensational and false rhetoric of dead babies in our food, does it still bother you companies like Senomyx uses HEK clones to measure chemical reactions of products meant for human consumption? And not even just Pepsi products, but like vaccinations and other medicines which treat diseases as well? Medicines and treatments that save lives.. medicines we've all used and been treated with at some point..

So given the controversial origin of the HEK cell-line, the cell-line itself is mostly used for good reasons, no? Yes? Maybe?

I guess my biggest discrepancy is why can't scientists use non-human cell lines derived from embryonic tissues? Why does it have to be human?

Regardless, all this won't change my opinion of pepsi one way or another. I've always preferred Coke and Dr Pepper... and anything Cherry flavored for that matter. pepsi can suck it.

That's why I feel childish when I drink Pepsi?