With its plan to revamp its popular snacks, PepsiCo, the world's largest snack food company, is taking a step toward a healthier future.
The Wall Street Journal tells us in a report that Ramon Laguarta, the company's CEO, is leading the charge by gradually lowering sodium, saturated fat, and sugar levels in their products while also making them more appealing to consumers.
PepsiCo Taps Professional Food Tasters
PepsiCo is working towards healthier snacks by employing a team of ten professional food tasters at its Frito-Lay snacks business headquarters in Plano, Texas.
The panelists undergo months of training before rating unseasoned chips on 27 attributes such as flavor, aromatics, and texture on a scale of 0 to 15. They tested salty snacks and other foods from PepsiCo's portfolio.
Giving More Context to Food Taste
PepsiCo has long laid out plans to provide more options made with wholesome ingredients that contribute to healthier eating and drinking, even at the time of ex-CEO Indra Nooyi.
The company has long aimed to increase the number of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and low-fat dairy in its global product portfolio, as well as balance sodium and sugar content.
However, this law review tells us that the language used to describe these pledges at the time was vague, and questions arose regarding accountability and evaluation. It seems like it took the company some long years to have clear answers finally.
The Professional Food Tasters
WSJ tells us that the panelists are employed by Sensory Spectrum Inc., an outside contractor, and are paid $19 to $20 per hour to do the tasting.
The company has been experimenting with various approaches, such as new salt crystals, potassium chloride substitutes, different herb and spice combinations, and potato varietals developed at its plant-breeding research station in Rhinelander, Wis., that has a naturally saltier flavor without being higher in sodium.
PepsiCo began experimenting with salt crystals in Lay's more than a decade ago. It has expanded the scope to include reformulations of its traditional blue-can Pepsi and other core products in markets worldwide to reduce sugar, sodium, and saturated fat.
Food Processing tells us that PepsiCo researchers at the time worked with scientists worldwide to find ways to change the crystal size and structure to make the salt crystal dissolve more quickly, effectively putting the sodium on your tongue rather than in your digestive system.
Putting More Funds on Research
WSJ also reports that the CEO of the company has recently increased the annual marketing budget for the company's most important brands, built new manufacturing lines for salty snacks, expanded into energy drinks, and increased the R&D budget for the company's core snack brands to create new variations such as mini Doritos and Cheetos Mac 'n Cheese.
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The renewed emphasis on products with more crunch and fizz than nutritional value contrasts with PepsiCo's previous CEO, Indra Nooyi, who attempted to shift the company's snacks-and-soda portfolio toward a healthier brand.
However, nutritionists who link the consumption of ultra-processed foods, salty snacks, and sugary drinks to a variety of health problems ranging from diabetes to heart disease are skeptical of PepsiCo's new approach.
While the product changes may not satisfy all nutritional experts, PepsiCo's push for healthier snacks is a positive step in the right direction. PepsiCo's CEO has acknowledged that consumers are becoming more health-conscious and that the company must adapt to remain relevant.
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