PepsiCo Promises to Cut Product Calories and Sugar to Help Fight Obesity
PepsiCo revealed Monday a new initiative to reduce the amount of calories and added sugar in their products. CEO Indra Nooyi said that the company is working to address the public's health concerns and subsequent healthier preferences. Sodas, often vilified for their contribution to the obesity crisis, were recently studied by the World Health Organization, who recommended that countries consider taxing these high-calorie drinks as a tactic to fight weight gain.
According to the PepsiCo announcement, by 2025 the company plans for two-thirds of their drink products to have 100 calories or less from added sugar for each 12 ounce serving. Currently 40 percent of their products fit into this category.
"Over the last decade, we have made progress in reducing sugar," Nooyi said during a CNBC interview. "But there's a lot more we needed to do because countries which loved sugar were growing faster than countries which were consuming lower-sugar products."
The company plans to slash their calorie and added sugar numbers by focusing on new drinks that are zero or low-calorie, and working to reformulate current drinks, though they have not currently revealed how they plan to do this. This strategy may be influenced by rival Coca Cola's goal of reducing the calories by 10 percent in each liter of soda by 2020.
63 percent of PepsiCo's sales don't come from carbonated beverages, which is currently in a serious sales decline, but rather come from their sales of water, juice, and snack products. If you're looking to kick the soda habit, or just reduce the number of calories you drink in a day, then try infused waters as a flavorful and refreshing alternative.
