To address urgent obesity crisis, PepsiCo plans slight sugar cut by 2025

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As leading health experts gathered in Washington Monday to discuss the dramatic rise in obesity and type 2 diabetes over the last three decades, PepsiCo Inc. announced goals to slightly reduce added sugars in beverages—a significant driver of the health crises.

According to its new “sustainability agenda,” PepsiCo is giving itself until 2025 to cut back production of beverages that pack more than 100 calories from added sugars in a 12 ounce serving. (Added sugars are those added during food production and processing that are not naturally included in foods, such as the natural sugars found in milk and fruits.) Currently, about 60 percent of PepsiCo’s beverages contain more than 100 calories from added sugars; the company’s goal is to get that down to 33 percent in the next nine years. The efforts, the company said, will help “meet changing consumer needs.”

High-calorie culprits include the company’s flagship beverage, Pepsi, which contains 150 calories and 41 grams of sugar (or about 10.25 teaspoons) in a 12 ounce can. PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew contains 170 calories and 46 grams of sugar in a 12 ounce serving. And Starbucks Frappuccino coffee drink, also made by the company, contains 290 calories and 46 grams of sugar in a 13.7 fluid ounce serving.

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Source: Ars Technica – To address urgent obesity crisis, PepsiCo plans slight sugar cut by 2025