Snack and beverage manufacturer PepsiCo will be slashing the amount of sodium in its food products, including Lay’s Chips, in line with World Health Organization recommendations, the company said.
By 2030, the company plans to hit “two new ambitious nutrition goals,” PepsiCo announced in a Nov. 14 news release.
First, it aims to reduce the amount of sodium in at least 75 percent of its food products worldwide. PepsiCo also announced that it would seek to promote nutritionally diverse diets by helping increase consumption of “diverse ingredients” such as legumes, plant-based proteins, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds in its food offerings.
“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,” PepsiCo Executive Vice President and Chief Science Officer René Lammers said.
“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,” Lammers added.
According to the World Health Organization, adults worldwide consume 4,310 mg of sodium, which is over twice the organization’s recommended limit of 2,000 mg per day.
In the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans consume over 3,400 mg per day of sodium on average.
This, according to the agency, is more than 1,000 mg over the federal recommendation of 2,300 mg.
High sodium consumption, the WHO noted, raises blood pressure and increases the risk of heart diseases, gastric cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, Meniere’s disease, and kidney disease.
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Savory snacks, including chips, pizzas, sandwiches, cheese, and breads and rolls, are among the top 10 sources of sodium in the U.S., the CDC noted.
“An industrywide approach is necessary to meaningfully reduce sodium intake and introduce important sources of nutrition to help diversify diets,” Lammers said, according to the news release.
“And it’s important for us to take a leadership position to help be a catalyst for change,” the chief science officer added.
“PepsiCo is setting a new sodium reduction goal, with category targets that consider guidance from public health experts including the World Health Organization and are approximately 15-30 percent lower than the company’s current target for key convenient food categories,” the company said in the news release.
“Our new sodium goal aims for a 15 percent sodium reduction in our U.S. Lay’s Classic Potato Chips, which would result in a sodium level of 140 mg per 28 g serving,” the news release stated.
The company said that its research and development associates are working to find ways to “optimize flavor while using less sodium.”
“If you just so happen to be a supertaster, you may notice a slight difference in the chip flavor, but chances are you won’t be able to detect any change in Lay’s Potato Chips’ appearance or taste,” Allrecipes columnist Novella Lui wrote.
“So, don’t panic — there’s no reason to stock up on potato chips because you will likely end up with something that tastes like the same Lay’s you know and love, only a little better for you,” Lui wrote.
