UNITED STATES—PepsiCo, Inc., makers of Doritos and Cheetos, has announced two ambitious nutrition targets in the United States, focusing on reducing sodium while ensuring meals provide essential nutrition.
These initiatives are integral to PepsiCo Positive (pep+), a comprehensive strategic transformation with sustainability as its core, aiming to operate within planetary bounds and foster positive change for the planet and people.
Under the three pillars of pep+, the company has outlined industry-leading 2030 targets, emphasizing positive agriculture through regenerative methods, achieving a Net-Zero emissions value chain by 2040, and promoting positive choices, including expanding its SodaStream business.
Excessive salt intake is recognized as a primary risk factor for diet-related diseases, prompting global health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO), to call on the food sector to limit sodium in their products.
To align with WHO recommendations of fewer than 2000mg of sodium per day for individuals, PepsiCo has set a new sodium reduction goal, aiming for 15–30% lower than its current target.
In pursuit of this goal, PepsiCo plans to reduce sodium by 15% in Lay’s Classic Potato Chips in the United States, resulting in a sodium level of 140mg per 28-gram serving, according to the company’s statement.
Notably, the salt intake from savoury snacks in daily meals is currently around 3%, as per the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
To promote a more nutritionally diverse diet, PepsiCo aims to increase the intake of diverse components, such as legumes, whole grains, plant-based proteins, fruits and vegetables, as well as nuts and seeds.
The company aspires to supply 145 billion portions of diverse ingredients annually in its worldwide convenience foods portfolio by 2030, with each portion providing roughly 10% of the recommended daily quantity of a diversified ingredient.
René Lammers, PepsiCo’s Executive Vice President and Chief Science Officer, highlights the company’s commitment to continuous innovation in reinventing meals while ensuring the highest quality for customers.
With products consumed over one billion times every day, Lammers sees an opportunity to make a positive impact by enhancing the nutritional profile of their offerings.
PepsiCo’s journey to improve its portfolio began in 2015, tracking progress against a set of 2025 nutrition targets.
This progress is attributed to the innovative efforts of over 2,600 Research and Development associates across 13 facilities worldwide, focusing on farm innovation, taste preservation, and flavor creation.
The initiatives extend to collaborating with farmers to cultivate potatoes with the ideal flavor, exploring salt crystal forms and sizes, and creating flavors using seasonings, herbs, spices, and cheeses with reduced sodium.
Lammers concluded by noting that emphasizing the need for an industrywide approach will significantly reduce sodium intake and add vital nutrition sources, positioning PepsiCo as a leader and catalyst for change.
