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

In order to highlight the importance of World Health Day, we asked Derek Yach, PepsiCo’s Senior Vice President for Global Health Policy, a few questions. What is World Health Day? World Health Day 2010 is today, April 7. The theme this year is ‘1000 cities, 1000 lives’ and the focus is on opening up public spaces to health – via things like activities in parks, town hall meetings, clean-up campaigns, or closing off portions of streets to motorized vehicles. The World Health Organization aims to collect 1000 stories of urban health champions who have taken action and had a significant impact on health in their cities. Events are being held this week in cities all over the world in order to promote health in urban areas. Why the focus on urbanization and health? Currently over 3 billion people live in cities and over the next 30 years virtually all... 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

I’ve been a practicing physician for 27 years specializing in endocrinology, diabetes and nutrition including many years spent at the University of MN and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, as well as serving as R&D President of a major pharmaceutical company. When the opportunity was presented to become PepsiCo’s first-ever Chief Scientific Officer, I was intrigued. Upon meeting with Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo chairman and CEO, I knew that combined with the companies strengths and vision I could make a unique contribution to one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies. PepsiCo is a global company truly committed to making a positive impact on the world’s population faced with serious nutrition challenges, including under-nutrition and obesity. Every day, we act on that commitment through the wide variety of products we offer, the public-private partnerships we lead and engage with and the global health initiatives we actively... Read more

At PepsiCo, we believe that it is our responsibility to understand the diverse nutrition needs of populations around the world and to offer a wide range of food, snacks and beverages that address those needs. To do that, we’re changing the way we innovate. Our overall goal is to deliver more nutrition per calorie in the products we offer and we’re acting on that commitment. The good news is that our products begin with natural goodness – oats, wheat, potatoes, lentils, oranges, apples, nuts and seeds. Think about it. We make some of the world’s favorite brands: Tropicana orange juice and Quaker Oats oatmeal in many countries across the globe, SunChips multi-grain snacks in the U.S., Stila oat and fruit bars in Mexico, Lebedyansky juice in Russia, and we’re the largest seller of packaged nuts and seeds outside the U.S. We’re working to deliver healthier nutrition per calorie... Read more

No one disagrees that obesity is a complex social, economic, health and environmental issue that poses serious health risks. There is significant controversy on the role of business, particularly the food industry, in helping to bring solutions to this complex issue. As part of our business practices, PepsiCo believes it is our responsibility to address diet and health concerns working alongside government, NGOs and other global companies, as it requires a collective effort to effectively reduce the health risks of individuals. In our continued and ever-growing ‘Performance with Purpose’ platform, our CEO, Indra Nooyi, remains committed to the principles of public-private partnerships within best business practices. PepsiCo has made steady progress in addressing the issues surrounding obesity by continual enhancement of our portfolio. There are many examples of this including the introduction of new products that offer improved nutrition. We continue to reduce portion sizes and... Read more

One billion people in the world are hungry. That’s right, 1,000,000,000.   For most, the figure is so large it simply numbs the mind. It appears vague and inaccurate. It strikes them as sensationalism or blatant propaganda. For most, the figure is often and easily dismissed. For those one billion individuals however, the consequences of dismissal are enormous and range from diminished intellectual development of children to reduced economic productivity of communities and nations. Those most affected are very young, often rural, very often women and typically marginalized in society.  They lack the energy to organize for themselves. They lack the voice to call for change or the power to mandate it. Here’s the hard truth — one billion hungry people are relying on people like you and me to reach out and support efforts to address their most basic need for food. I for one am eager to help. I’m passionate about the issue... Read more