In 1963, the U.S. Congress requested the President issue a proclamation designating February as American Heart Month. Beginning in 1964, these presidential proclamations have urged Americans to take action for the prevention and control of diseases of the heart and blood vessels and their major risk factors. These proclamations typically inform Americans of the huge social, economic, and human toll of heart disease and adverse trends such as the rising tide of risk factors and associated health care costs. The grim statistics quoted annually can truly spell bad news! As President Obama noted in this year’s proclamation, heart disease is “a staggering health problem” and remains the “leading cause of death for American women and men.” Recent data supporting genuine concern about heart health are well-documented in the 2011 update of the Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics published by the American Heart Association (AHA), in conjunction... Read more

Last week, several colleagues and I attended TEDMED in San Diego. It was my first time at the conference and, as you'll see in the video below, I enjoy conferences like TEDMED because I believe that I have never stopped being a student. I went to San Diego to listen, learn, and meet as many people as possible. At TEDMED you get the latest ideas and cutting edge thinking from a variety of different disciplines. Read more

Our chairman and CEO, Indra Nooyi, made an exciting announcement today about the newly established Global Nutrition Group (GNG) and I wanted to take a moment to recognize this historic step for the company. It is no secret that we are making efforts to triple our business in our “good-for-you” (GFY) product portfolio by 2020. Public health is a focus for every one of our stakeholders – consumers, investors, and regulators. With the GNG, we have the opportunity to define a new leadership role in foods and beverages based not only on taste, but on science-based health, wellness and functionality. Our mission is to establish PepsiCo as the leading provider of GFY food and beverages that are great tasting, wholesome, accessible, affordable and advantaged by science. The R&D organization will remain with me to complete the transformation that will enable efficient technology transfer across all of PepsiCo’s businesses. In... Read more

As I’ve mentioned before, PepsiCo has made ambitious commitments to reduce added sugar, sodium and fat across our food and beverage portfolio while increasing whole grains, fruits and vegetables (Learn more about these goals and commitments). R&D plays a central role within PepsiCo, and our dedication to scientific innovation will help make these commitments a reality. Last week, as part of our inaugural “PepsiCo Academy of Sciences” award celebration, we honored some of the brightest scientific minds across PepsiCo – the cornerstones of our R&D function – who are helping us progress toward these ambitious goals.  These scientists are involved in extraordinary projects – from technological and product breakthroughs to solutions that solve cultural, flavor or textural challenges. Their ingenuity and dedication are bringing better-tasting, more nutritious products and more environmentally friendly packaging to our millions of consumers around the globe. At the event, which took place... Read more

At PepsiCo, we believe in mentoring and nurturing young scientists. We, and our colleagues on the R&D team, recognize the influence of mentors as we built our own careers. In fact, our senior leadership team has formalized the importance of support systems for students and young professionals as part of our company’s talent sustainability goals. Each year, we sponsor a summer internship program for young scientists in the nutrition field. The program provides students an opportunity to see the important role the food industry can play in meeting global nutrition challenges, and it provides us the opportunity to learn from the intern’s fresh perspectives. As the summer draws to a close, we want to take this opportunity to highlight some of the great work the PepsiCo R&D interns did in nutrition science and food policy. Our 21 interns all had impressive backgrounds in science and nutrition. They hailed... Read more

We often receive questions about the role of sodium in the diet. It surprises people to know that dietary sodium actually has an important role in maintaining health. Sodium is an essential mineral or micronutrient which along with potassium helps to regulate the body’s fluid balance.  However, when consumed in excess (as sodium chloride or common salt), it can raise blood pressure and contribute to death and disability from heart disease and stroke. A recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 9 out of 10 Americans exceed the limit recommended for daily sodium intake. In fact, for the group of Americans whom a lower dietary intake of sodium is important, the amount of sodium consumed was more than double the recommended limit. The CDC report also showed that only 9.6% of U.S. adults were below the recommended dietary limit of 2,300... Read more

Earlier this week, PepsiCo’s blog, Food Frontiers, was added to ScienceBlogs.com so we could begin open discussions about the role science can play in finding solutions to global nutrition challenges. Since the announcement of our participation in ScienceBlogs.com, we’ve heard some very candid feedback from the ScienceBlogs community. As many of you have undoubtedly heard by now, the Food Frontiers blog has been removed from ScienceBlogs. In hearing the community’s feedback, we agree with this decision and feel that the best approach is to take a step back and first examine the role industry scientists, such as myself, can play in the discussion about nutrition science within the larger scientific community. We knew going in that there would be real differences among scientists within and outside of industry. Our intent is to embrace that conversation, share what we’re doing, and have open discussions to learn from one... Read more

In this short, one minute video, Mehmood Khan, PepsiCo’s Chief Scientific Officer talks about ‘Performance with Purpose’ at PepsiCo’s Senior Management Meeting in Orlando last week. Read more

I’m writing from Yankee Stadium in New York City – the site of PepsiCo’s investor meeting this year – where we just announced global goals in the areas of human, environment, and talent sustainability. It’s a momentous day for our company as we make these bold commitments that push the limits of what’s achievable for a global food and beverage business. These goals are a critical part of our Performance with Purpose mission.  Performance with Purpose is PepsiCo’s promise to deliver sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet. As a global food and beverage company with brands that stand for quality and are respected household names—Quaker Oats, Tropicana, Gatorade, Lay’s and Pepsi-Cola, to name a few—we will continue to build a portfolio of enjoyable and wholesome foods and beverages, find innovative ways to reduce the use of energy, water and packaging,... Read more

For generations PepsiCo has been offering some of the world's favorite foods and beverages and, increasingly, we are focused on improving our products and developing new ones through science-based solutions. The following video offers an informative look at some of the ways PepsiCo is demonstrating its commitment to “Performance with Purpose.” From partnerships with leading organizations, to the hiring of a Chief Scientific Officer, to incorporating healthier ingredients in products, PepsiCo is committed to building a strong business and making a positive impact on society. Read more