PepsiCo is aiming for a 15% sodium reduction in its U.S. Lay’s Classic Potato Chips, a Frito-Lay brand, which would result in a sodium level of 140 milligrams per 28 gram serving. PepsiCo’s new sodium reduction goal considers guidance from public health experts including the World Health Organization (WHO).
“An industrywide approach is necessary to meaningfully reduce sodium intake and introduce important sources of nutrition to help diversify diets,” said René Lammers, executive vice president and chief science officer at PepsiCo. “And it’s important for us to take a leadership position to help be a catalyst for change.”
Excess sodium intake is a leading risk factor for diet-associated disease and disability, prompting global public health authorities to call on the food industry to reduce sodium in their products. The WHO recommends less than 2,000 milligrams of sodium per day for adults. The sodium intake in daily diets from savory snacks is currently around 3%, according to the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
PepsiCo aims for at least 75% of its global convenient foods portfolio volume to meet or be below category sodium targets by 2030.
The Purchase, New York-based company also aims to deliver 145 billion portions of diverse ingredients annually in its global convenient foods portfolio by 2030 to promote a more nutritionally diverse diet. Such ingredients include legumes, whole grains, plant-based proteins, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds. Each portion will provide approximately 10% of the suggested daily amount of a diverse ingredient, based on published dietary guidelines for select counties, WHO Healthy Diet Fact Sheet and Eat Lancet Planetary Healthy Diet report.
“We are in a constant cycle of innovation to reimagine the foods we make and how we make them so we can bring better choices to our consumers, without ever compromising on taste,” said Lammers. “Consumers enjoy our products more than one billion times a day, which provides an opportunity–and the privilege–to have an impact. We set a high bar to improve the nutritional profile of our products, and these new goals reaffirm our ambitions.”
Since 2015, PepsiCo has been on a journey to improve its portfolio, according to the company. Agricultural experts, seasoning experts and food developers have helped PepsiCo progress its 2025 nutrition targets.
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