PepsiCo was part of an exciting announcement this week – we became the first private sector company to participate in one of the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) regional trust funds for development activities. The IDB is the largest multilateral provider of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean, and we hope that our five-year partnership will spur social and economic growth in 26 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. The inaugural agriculture project of the partnership will significantly expand commercial sunflower crop production in Mexico and create a sustainable market for sunflower production. For PepsiCo, the sunflower crop will provide a source of heart-healthy high-oleic sunflower oil (HOSO) for cooking many PepsiCo products produced in Mexico under the Sabritas and Gamesa-Quaker brands. Currently the demand of HOSO is increasing because of its heart-healthy properties. This agreement will help to support the supply of healthy local... Read more

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

George Mensah is currently Director, Heart Health and Global Health Policy at PepsiCo. His role on the R&D team is focused on the company’s initiatives to promote heart health around the world. George came to PepsiCo from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and today, the Atlanta Journal Constitution caught up with George to find out a little more about his transition to PepsiCo and how he sees the company’s role in global public health efforts. See the link below for more details, and if you have any questions for George please post them in the comments section: Atlanta Journal Constitution: Whatever happened to… George Mensah? Read more

As the different activities during American Heart Month come to a close this week, it is important to remind all of us what PepsiCo is doing to promote heart health and help reduce the burden of heart disease and its risk factors. As many of you know, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. It is also a major cause of disability, reduced quality of life, and rising health care costs. It is now well-recognized that poor nutrition and physical inactivity are some of the most important factors that contribute to poor health. At PepsiCo, we are on a journey to transform our portfolio of products to support our consumers in their effort to reduce their risk of heart disease and promote overall well-being. We recognize that specific changes in food industry practices can favorably impact diet and nutrition,... Read more