Approach

Sodium, an essential mineral that occurs naturally in foods, can also be added to food during processing for functional reasons and/or taste characteristics and by the consumer at the table as a component of table salt. We have set goals, considering guidance from public health authorities including the WHO, to help consumers reduce the amount of sodium in their diets. Our goal, as part of our pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) ambition, is that by 2025, at least three-quarters of our global foods portfolio sales volume will not exceed 1.3 milligrams of sodium per Calorie and by 2030, at least three-quarters of our global convenient foods portfolio volume will meet or be below category sodium targets.¹

Internally, progress towards our sodium goals is led by a cross-functional team with members from Research and Development (R&D), Marketing and Commercialization functions and guided by PepsiCo’s Nutrition Criteria. These science-based criteria are based on recommendations for diet and nutrient intake from leading global and national nutrition authorities including the WHO, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Academy of Medicine and other national public health authorities.

To respond to global consumers’ nutritional needs and the policy and regulatory environment, we are exploring sodium-reduction techniques that will allow us to still meet all of our consumers’ taste expectations of our products. Our efforts are made possible through the cutting-edge innovations developed by our more than 2,600 employees across 18 R&D centers around the world. These experts include:

• Agricultural scientists who partner with farmers to grow the crops that produce ideal flavor profiles;
• Seasoning specialists who can optimize flavor while using less sodium; and
• Professional chefs who develop flavors using various seasonings, herbs, spices and dairy that also contain less sodium overall.

Progress

At the end of 2023, 72% of our convenient foods sales volume in our top global markets met our goal to reach sodium levels that do not exceed 1.3 mg per Calorie.² This was an improvement from 68% in our top global markets at the end of 2022.³

In 2023, we launched a new goal to reduce sodium further in our global convenient foods portfolio, considering the latest guidance from public health authorities. Our new goal is that, by 2030, at least three-quarters of our global convenient foods portfolio volume will meet or be below category sodium targets. The targets cover approximately 30 food categories, listed below, from hot cereals to potato and vegetable chips to tortilla chips. The category targets are approximately 15-30% lower than the company’s current target for key convenient food categories. As of year-end, 36% of our products met our 2030 category sodium targets.⁴

What's next?

The lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, paired with the conflict in Ukraine, has increased pressure on food poverty and diet quality, but we will continue our efforts to contribute to driving positive nutritional change.