PepsiCo to innovate and expand portfolio in Latin America to focus on nutritious food

PepsiCo has announced that it plans to expand its portfolio in Latin America, to meet growing demand for nutritious food.

The third largest food and beverage company said it will add to its portfolio of nutritious food and beverages through brands like Tropicana, Naked, Kero Coco and Quakers.

PepsiCo says it will also work to reduce the amount of artificial ingredients and other additives, such as sugars, saturated fats, sodium and calories, in its products.

“Consumers globally are increasingly demanding more nutritious food options, and Latin America is no exception,” said Ricardo Pimenta, VP Nutrition PepsiCo Latin America.  

“Today, about 27.5% of our global revenue comes from everyday nutrition products (such as oats), zero- and low-calorie beverages, and snacks with low levels of sodium and saturated fats.”

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By 2025, PepsiCo has set itself a goal of having at least three-quarters of its global foods portfolio volume with less than 1.3mg sodium per kcal and less than 1.1g sat fat per 100 kcal.

In Latin America, PepsiCo had achieved a 32% reduction in saturated fats and a 55% sodium reduction as of 2017.

Elsewhere, for its beverage business, the firm aims that at least two-thirds of its global beverage portfolio volume will have 100 calories or less from added sugars per 12-oz serving.

So far, around 58% of its portfolio value contains 100 calories or less.

To meet these goals, PepsiCo has invested in research and development (R&D) centres across the region.

These include PepsiCo’s Tech Innovation Center in Mexico City, its Research and Development Center in Sorocaba, Brazil, and the Baking Category Innovation Center in Apodaca, Mexico.

PepsiCo is also looking to help the communities it operates by investing US$7mn  in its ‘Nutrition for the Future’ platform, a hub of programmes which aim to increase access to nutritious food and beverages, education and support for agro-economic self-sufficiency.