Pepsi’s seemingly endless experiments with sweeteners in its drinks is taking on yet another new chapter, as the beverage behemoth unveiled a plan to reduce added sugars and calories in dozens of products by 2025.
The company announced on Monday that by 2025 at least two-thirds of its drinks will have at most 100 calories from sugar (per 12-oz. serving). The company says the change is part of its plan to address a range of issues, from obesity to gas emissions related to production.
The company’s so-called “global sustainability agenda” is designed to grow business while also responding to customer requests and changing tastes, PepsiCo said in a statement.
Under the plan, PepsiCo aims to “enable better nutrition at scale by continuing to develop a broader portfolio of food and beverage choices and increasing access to great-tasting, nutritious options.”
In addition to reducing the sugar calories in its drinks, PepsiCo announced other goals for 2025: At least 75% of its foods will have no more than 1.1 grams of saturated fats per 100 calories; and 75% of foods will not exceed 1.3 milligrams of sodium per calorie.
The plan, which also includes a planned 15% improvement in water efficiency of its direct agriculture supply and a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across the company’s value chain, is an extension of PepsiCo’s “Performance with Purpose” plan that began in 2006. It also builds on the company’s previous goal of reducing sugar by 25% in select drinks by 2020, The Street reports.
PepsiCo’s announcement comes just weeks after the World Health Organization recommending that countries use so-called sugary drink taxes to help combat obesity and other health issues.
It also comes after PepsiCo found itself on the receiving end of a lawsuit related to its Naked Juice drinks. The lawsuit, filed by the folks at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) accuses PepsiCo of making false and misleading claims about the drinks ingredients and sugar contents.
The company has also been experimenting with different sugars in its drinks for the past year. Back in June, PepsiCo said that it would reintroduce aspartame-sweetened Diet Pepsi this fall. Before that, the company received backlash when it changed the sweetener in Sierra Mist for at least the second time.
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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