Sweetmyx (S617): Is The Novel Artificial Sweetener Now Lurking In Your Drinks Safe?

Do you remember the study released in June 2015 that revealed that sugary drinks kill an estimated 184,000 people a year — as much as the flu? The shocking study looked at dietary habits in 50 different countries, and drinks containing cane sugar, beet sugar and high-fructose corn syrup were all defined as sugary beverages.

As a result of the research, numerous experts called for a drastic reduction in sugary-beverage consumption. Dr Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Massachusetts and a senior author of the study, said: "It should be a global priority to substantially reduce or eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages from the diet."

The fact remains that humans crave sweet stuff. Wouldn't it be awesome if we could perceive a sweet taste even if our products weren't full of refined sugar?

What Is Sweetmyx?

Before we can look at what Sweetmyx is, we have to take a look at the company that developed it. Senomyx is a biotechnology company that strives to, according to its website, discover "novel flavor ingredients that boost taste sensations such as sweet". According to the company, their work helps create products that are better for your health by cutting down on traditionally used products such as refined sugar, but while maintaining the same sweet taste. 

If this sounds revolutionary, that is because it is — by mapping the tongue and finding out what chemicals trigger taste receptors, this company aims to essentially trick our bodies into tasting the things humans crave, without using the ingredients we all know are bad for us. In addition to making things taste sweeter than they actually are, Senomyx also develops savory flavoring, products that block humans' perception of bitterness, and cooling agents. 

About Sweetmyx 617 (S617), Senomyx says that it "boosts the sweet taste of foods and beverages in which fructose, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and/or sugar have been reduced."

What Products Contain Sweetmyx?

In a press release issued at the end of August 2015, Senomyx President and SEO John Poyhonen said:

"In August, Senomyx earned a commercial milestone from PepsiCo for the first sale of a concentrate using Sweetmyx S617. Reformulated concentrates will be used in Manzanita Sol^® nationally and Mug Root Beer^® in two United States test markets. We are looking forward to receiving feedback on the market acceptance of these lower-calorie offerings."

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As the result of  Pepsico's exclusive deal with Senomyx, Sweetmyx may turn up any of the company's non-alcoholic beverages. These include sodas, juices, and energy drinks. The company Firmenich SA also has a deal with Senomyx which allows the additive to be added to such products as cookies, yogurt, and cakes, among other products. 

So far, so good? Well, not everyone thinks so. 

Why Are People Worried About Sweetmyx?

Food Identity Theft, an organization that "alerts consumers about threats to the food we buy for ourselves and our families", doesn't believe that Sweetmyx is known to be safe. It looks towards Aspartame as "an object lesson in the dangers of allowing a chemical concoction to enter the market as a sweetening agent without our having a complete understanding of its effects and potential hazards".

The organization then goes on to warn that Sweetmyx isn't likely to be identified by name on very many ingredient lists, noting that it could just be listed as yet another artificial flavor or sweetener. They then point towards former food marketer Bruce Bradley, who is now a staunch "real food" advocate, for more information. 

So what does Bradley have to say about Sweetmyx? Some very interesting things, in fact:

• Sweetmyx "appears to be artificially synthesized from chemicals" rather than being natural. (Shouldn't the very fact that this isn't clear be worrying in itself?)
• The safety of Sweetmyx is entirely unknown at this point. Bradley was unable to obtain safety information from Senomyx, and safety testing results weren't available from others sources either. (Senomyx' website certainly doesn't give too much away.)
• Senomyx may believe it's doing a great thing by introducing products that allow us to reduce sugar consumption to the market, but it is not yet clear how this additive truly affects health. Instead of seeking to make foods known to be bad for human health healthier, Bradley believes, people should be encouraged to turn to real foods rather than highly processed foods. 

But Sweetmyx Is FDA-Approved, Isn't It?

Senomyx did release a statement claiming that Smeetmyx was "generally recognized as safe" in March 2014, appearing to suggest that Sweetmyx was now approved by the US Food and Drug Aministration. In the statement, the company said that the "new Sweetmyx flavor ingredient, previously referred to as S617, has been determined to be Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) under the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, administered by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)."

What did the FDA itself have to say about that? Let's take a look:

"In fact, the [FDA] had not made this determination nor had it been notified by Senomyx regarding a GRAS determination for this food ingredient. The company’s statement has been corrected and now notes that a third party organization made the determination."

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In other words, Sweetmyx isn't FDA-approved at all. The goals Senomyx has certainly seem laudable, but the fact is that this is an additive we know surprisingly little about, and that may well be popping up in all kinds of beverages and processed food products now, without even being clearly identified on the label. Sweetmyx could turn out to be the additive that prevents people from dying of sugary-drink consumption. It could also turn out to be dangerous. Incidentally, the one step you can take to ensure you don't inadvertently end up consuming Sweetmyx is also one universally recognized to be good for health: stay away from highly-processed foods and instead rely on fresh ingredients.