Baby fetus in food

Fact Check-Food products do not contain human fetal cells

By Reuters Fact Check

7 Min Read

There is no evidence that food products contain cells from aborted human fetuses as flavor enhancers, contrary to a social media claim that revives a related, previously-debunked charge about cells used in biomedical research.

A widely-shared tweet claims that “flavor enhancers made from aborted fetal tissue are being eaten without the knowledge of consumers. Amounts of these flavor enhancers used in food products are below a certain threshold, so they don't need to be reported or safety-tested by the FDA” (here).

The post had received more than 10,000 “likes” and been retweeted over 4,000 times at the time of writing. Additional examples can be found on Facebook (bit.ly/3urNbTN), (bit.ly/3Bdojms).

The claims offer no evidence that food companies incorporate human cells into their products for any reason, but they include a screenshot of text invoking an older claim that a fetal cell line used in many kinds of laboratory research had ended up in soft drinks. That cell line, HEK-293, has been used in laboratory research related to testing food flavors, according to a 2002 study and a 2008 patent application, but that research did not involve incorporating the cells into foods.

COLA CLAIMS

The text in the screenshot, which is dated 2015, reads: “A biotechnology company out of California called Senomyx specializes in the development of food flavorings using aborted embryonic cells for the production of food chemicals. Research by Senomyx into the use of ‘HEK-293’ aborted human fetal cells as a flavor enhancer was published in Pubmed in 2002, after which several patents were filed by them. Additionally, this company has partnered with numerous major processed food manufacturers including Kraft, PepsiCo, and Nestle.”

The graphic image and title in this screenshot date back to at least January 2012, when they appeared in an article on the Gawker website (here).

Confusion and controversy over use of a cell line known as HEK-293 in food-related research date back even further, to at least 2011, when it was the basis of calls to ban certain types of research (here) and to boycott companies that used the HEK-293 cell line in their research and development.

Reuters previously factchecked false claims that PepsiCo drinks contained aborted fetal cells. The claims had originated in a 2011 call from a U.S.-based anti-abortion group, Children of God for Life, to boycott companies partnered with U.S. biotech Senomyx, which was said to be using “aborted fetal cell lines to test their products” (here).

AN OLD CELL LINE

The controversial cell line is derived from fetal cells dating to the 1970s. The HEK-293 cell line was originally created sometime around 1973 or 1974 by Canadian scientist Frank Graham (here). Graham used a lab technique to “transform” cultured cells for use in cancer research. He had started with cultured kidney cells obtained in 1972 by Dutch researcher Alexander Van der Eb, who explained the cells’ origin in a 2001 presentation to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (on page 77 here). Van der Eb has attested that the cells were derived from human fetal tissue, though he was uncertain if it was from an abortion or miscarriage (ipscell. com/2021/12/293-cells/).

HEK-293 cells are used widely in biomedical research, including in studies of cell mechanisms (here). In 2002, Senomyx researchers published a study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that used the cells to study receptor proteins that detect certain tastes (here ). Google Patents shows that Senomyx had a patent issued in 2008 for “Recombinant Methods for Expressing a Functional Sweet Taste Receptor” that mentions the use of HEK-293 cells (here).

A 2011 CBS News report about the Pepsi allegations suggested that the Senomyx patent was most likely being used to test substances, but that no HEK cells were in finished products: “The company appears to be engineering HEK cells to function like the taste-receptor cells we have in our mouth. This way, Senomyx can test millions of substances to see if they work as different types of taste enhancers without subjecting human volunteers to endless taste tests.” (here).

In 2018, Senomyx was acquired by Firmenich, a global manufacturer of fragrances and flavors (here).

Andrea Duarte, a spokesperson for Firmenich, told Reuters by email, “Neither Firmenich products nor Senomyx products have ever contained any human cell or material.”

A Nestlé spokesperson said via email that Firmenich is a supplier to Nestlé, but that Nestlé does not use any flavor compounds using HEK cells, nor use HEK cells in their research.

Andrea Foote, a spokesperson for PepsiCo said, “While PepsiCo previously partnered with Senomyx on sweetener research, the relationship has concluded, and we do not use any Senomyx ingredients in our products. PepsiCo absolutely does not conduct or fund research that utilizes any human tissue or cell lines derived from embryos or fetuses.”

Kraft did not respond to a request for comment.

VERDICT

False. There is no evidence that any food or beverage products contain cells from human fetuses or derived from fetuses.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts here.

State Bill Outlaws Using Fetuses In Food Industry; Meets Visceral Reaction : The Two-Way : NPR

State Bill Outlaws Using Fetuses In Food Industry; Meets Visceral Reaction : The Two-Way An Oklahoma Senate bill that prohibits "the manufacture or sale of food or products which use aborted human fetuses" has some folks scratching their heads, and wondering if it's real.

The Two-Way

January 24, 201212:36 PM ET

A scientist holds a tray of stem cells in a lab, in this file photo from 2010. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A scientist holds a tray of stem cells in a lab, in this file photo from 2010.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A bill introduced in the Oklahoma Legislature has some folks scratching their heads, as it prohibits "the manufacture or sale of food or products which use aborted human fetuses."

Since the bill was introduced late last week by State Sen. Ralph Shortey, a Republican from Oklahoma City, corners of the Internet have been buzzing with the news, as people try to figure out two things: 1) is this real; and 2) is there any reason the bill might be needed?

News of the bill was first reported by the AP and The Daily O'Collegian, a student newspaper at Oklahoma State University. It sparked a lively debate in the O'Collegian's readers' comments section, which is connected to Facebook.

The AP and the O'Collegian say that Shortey didn't respond to calls for comment. Two calls from NPR to the senator's office went to voicemail and were not returned. But Tulsa radio station KRMG managed to get in touch with him to ask about the legislation, Senate Bill 1418.

The senator says that his research shows there are companies in the food industry that have used human stem cells to help them research and develop products, including artificial flavorings.

"I don't know if it is happening in Oklahoma, it may be, it may not be. What I am saying is that if it does happen then we are not going to allow it to manufacture here," Shortey tells KRMG's Nicole Burgin.

To that end, his proposed statute reads, "No person or entity shall manufacture or knowingly sell food or any other product intended for human consumption which contains aborted human fetuses in the ingredients or which used aborted human fetuses in the research or development of any of the ingredients."

My own research suggests that Shortey may have noticed a boycott directed at PepsiCo, which since 2010 has worked with flavor research firm Senomyx to develop sweeteners and other flavorings.

Based in San Diego, Senomyx has been accused of using proteins derived from human embryonic kidney cells in its research, which has been used by many large food companies. An article in the Miami New Times summarizes those claims, notes the company's denial of them — and also notes that in 2003, the company filed a patent for "recombinant methods for expressing a functional sweet taste receptor."

That patent, for what is essentially an automated taste test, was granted in 2008. It mentions HEK 293, or Human Embryonic Kidney 293, a widely available cell line that was originally cultured in the early 1970s from a human embryo in the Netherlands.

Other Uses Of Stem Cells

So, it seems that Sen. Shortey's bill mostly targets the potential use of stem cells in food research. But in the past decade, several attempts have been made to use animal stem cells to produce food. For instance, NASA has tinkered with using pigs' stem cells to grow "lab meat," according to a Popular Mechanics article from 2009.

The article continues, "Today, scientists funded by companies such as Stegeman, a Dutch sausage giant, are fine-tuning the process. It takes just two weeks to turn pig stem cells, or myoblasts, into muscle fibers."

And the group New Harvest has long been involved in the search for "meat alternatives," in the form of "plant-based meat analogs and cultured meat," according to its site.

Shortey's bill was among hundreds submitted just before the state's Thursday deadline, as Oklahoma legislators vied to get their bills entered for discussion in the upcoming session, which runs from Feb. 6 into late May.

Thanks to NPR Southern Bureau Chief Russell Lewis and KOSU's Rachel Hubbard for flagging the story.

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Why it's not scary to eat eggs with embryos and how to get rid of the phobia of mayonnaise: 5 amazing facts about food

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How to get rid of mayophobia? Why eggs with embryos are not scary? What is aquafaba? Ivan Shishkin, one of the founders of the Michelin-starred Moscow Delicatessen, in his third book Fried Facts, collected the most amazing facts about food in 137 answers to questions about how, why and what we eat. Sobaka.ru publishes an excerpt.

Can vegetarians eat store eggs?

Store-bought eggs will never hatch. Hens lay them without the participation of a rooster, this is a manifestation of their natural cycle. Unless there is a breeding task, laying hens are always kept separate from males, so commercially produced eggs never contain a germ. This is important for many vegetarians: buying eggs in the supermarket, they do not threaten anyone's life. Such eggs are often referred to as fatty eggs. On farms, birds of both sexes share the same coop so that some eggs can be fertilized. However, without an incubator or hen, the embryo does not develop, so the taste is not affected. But when fertilized eggs are incubated at a temperature of 40 degrees, already on the third day, signs of the presence of a living being can be detected using a special device - an ovoscope.

Why eggs with embryos are not scary?

Although the egg industry is built on the sale of unfertilized eggs, millions of embryonated eggs are also eaten every day around the world. By the way, not only chicken, but also duck, and the latter are valued higher.

Chicken and duck eggs, embryonated between 14 and 21 days old, are a Southeast Asian delicacy best known by the Filipino name balut.

They are boiled and eaten with soy sauce and ginger. The description sounds rather disturbing, but I would like to further enhance the effect. The taste is nothing unusual: a hard-boiled egg with a taste of the liver. But also with crisp bones and a beak, which already have time to develop in the embryo. And I find this crunch a pleasant addition to a rather ordinary taste.

My summer of 2013 was marked by this product. I managed to find a Vietnamese supplier, from whom I bought about three hundred eggs in two months. Some by deceit, some by persuasion or threats, but I fed everyone who could not dodge. Few dared to repeat, but literally a few rejected balut as bad food. These boiled eggs with a chick inside are the perfect cure for xenophobia. If millions of people eat something every day, then so can we. We don't have to, but we can. All people are the same, although habits are different.

What is pea meringue?

In 2014, quite recently, the word “aquafaba” entered the everyday life of modern cooking. Literally, it is a decoction of legumes. We are talking about the same liquid that is always in a tin can with boiled chickpeas.

For canning, chickpeas are cooked under extreme conditions: in huge pressure cookers, autoclaves, at temperatures well over one hundred degrees, under high pressure. Initially, aquafaba meant liquid from a can, because at home it is difficult to reproduce such modes of boiling peas.

If you soak chickpeas for a day, cook them with a pinch of soda, in an ordinary pressure cooker you will get a decoction that can be whipped up and make an excellent meringue, which is suitable for those who abstain from animal products.

Chickpeas are boiled to full softness, and a significant amount of proteins, albumins and globulins get into the broth, which, when whipped, form a very stable foam. Also, legumes are characterized by the presence of saponins, substances of complex structure that have high foaming properties.

Bottom line - this foam is even more stable than egg white. Aquafaba, whipped with a small addition of acid, remains unchanged for a day or even more. It doesn't need any stabilizers, and you can add significantly less sugar to it to make, for example, meringue. Another thing is that, as a rule, aquafaba has a pronounced pea smell, and it has to be carefully masked. Spices, roasted nuts, essential oils come to the rescue.

But even more stable and smooth aquafaba can be obtained by adding thickening hydrocolloids or their natural source - algae. A plate of 10 by 15 centimeters of dried kombu per kilogram of chickpeas, thanks to alginic acid, is able to significantly improve the quality of aquafaba, strengthen and stabilize future foam. Along the way, cooked chickpeas will get a very pleasant umami accent. Moreover, algae are a source of the alpha-galactosidase enzyme. This enzyme is not found in the human intestine, but it breaks down the trisaccharide raffinose, which is abundant in legumes. Raffinose is indigestible by humans and causes unpleasant and sometimes funny effects after a heavy consumption of legumes. Therefore, boiling chickpeas with a piece of kombu not only improves aquafaba, but also saves you from embarrassing moments.

By the way, not all legumes are able to give such a protein-enriched broth as chickpeas can, so if you want to try other varieties, it makes sense to experiment first.

What is mayophobia?

National mayonnaise sauce consists mainly of butter and egg yolks. They scold him, they say, "fat and cholesterol." At the same time, if you act carefully, up to 30 liters of sauce can be made on one yolk. So cholesterol is just an option.

Mayonnaise had become so global in importance and popularity that it was bound to cause a mental disorder associated with it. And it is. Mayophobia is explained by the appearance and texture of mayonnaise. It seems to some impressionable natures that it resembles all sorts of painful and physiological secretions of the human body.

Phobia is treated quite effectively by preparing mayonnaise from the initial ingredients together with the therapist. It also helps to regularly immerse your hands in a bucket of mayonnaise in order to realize that there really is nothing terrible and nasty in it.

Publication excerpt courtesy of Individuum

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Author:

Daria Pavlyukevich, May 4, 2022

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