Pepsi pledges to reduce sugar, fats in drinks and snacks

A multimedia press release on ‘products, people and planet’ explains plans to address obesity and diabetes epidemics worldwide.

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Folks who may have needed an extra boost to get going Monday morning awoke to news that Pepsi plans to significantly reduce the amount of sugar in its beverages.

Fortune.com reported early Monday:

Pepsi has set a target for reducing the amount of sugar in its soft drinks around the world as part of a suite of goals aimed at tackling problems ranging from obesity to climate change.

The New York-based company [said] that by 2025 at least two-thirds of its drinks will have 100 calories or fewer from added sugar per 12 oz. serving, up from about 40 percent now.

The move, which it plans to achieve by introducing more zero and low-calorie drinks and reformulating existing drinks, comes as PepsiCo and rival Coca-Cola come under increasing pressure from health experts and governments who blame them for fueling epidemics of obesity and diabetes.

PepsiCo says the new global target is more ambitious than its previous goal of reducing sugar by 25 percent in certain drinks in certain markets by 2020.

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