Amazingly, PepsiCo reached its saturated fat reduction goal of having 75% of its convenient foods portfolio not exceed 1.1 gram per 100 calories in 2021, four years ahead of schedule. It said that 53% of its beverage portfolio volume now has fewer than 100 calories from added sugars per 12-ounce serving—its 2025 global goal is at least two-thirds at 100 or less. And 66% of its convenient food portfolio volume does not exceed 1.3 milligrams of sodium per calorie. Its 2025 target worldwide for salt is at least 75%.
As consumers place a greater focus on sustainability and eating healthier, pressure is on CPGs to make improvements to their businesses and portfolios while providing evidence that they are following through on their commitments.
As consumers look to eat healthier—a trend further accelerated by the ongoing pandemic—food and beverage makers have been working for years to overhaul their portfolios.
In 2016, PepsiCo, whose convenient foods portfolio includes household staples such as Lay’s, Doritos, and Cheetos, outlined a number of health initiatives it would undertake by 2025, including the reduction of added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium levels.
In recent years, PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay has introduced healthier versions of its popular brands with fewer of these attributes in them. The fact that PepsiCo achieved the saturated fat target ahead of schedule likely reflects that consumers especially valued this, or that the company was able to achieve it more easily than some of its other targets.