PepsiCo India: Find what you will in its ‘bowl of hope’

On March 31, PepsiCo India in collaboration with United Way Delhi launched a weeklong awareness initiative called ‘Bowl of Hope’, in the process also marking the so-called Whole Grain Sampling Day. As part of this, PepsiCo India conducted awareness drives around nutritious eating, active lifestyle, and the importance of whole grains in daily diets through videos and online sessions.  

To address the lack of understanding of what whole grains really are, PepsiCo India also launched an educational video featuring Michelin Star Chef and Quaker brand ambassador Vikas Khanna. As per the National Institute of Nutrition, ideally at least 50% of the total grains consumed per day should be whole grains.  

Regarding the initiative, PepsiCo India’s chief government affairs and communications officer Viraj Chouhan said, ‘To boost nutrition in the daily diet of Indians, PepsiCo India has been promoting healthy diets and nourishing food through various interventions. The Whole Grain Sampling Day is a perfect opportunity for us to launch the “Bowl of Hope” initiative, which uniquely offers brand contribution and employee volunteerism.’  

A special microsite has been created where PepsiCo India employees can contribute whole grains for underserved communities. The week-long initiative also featured awareness sessions – in the form of panel discussions, twitter chats and talks by nutritionists – underscoring the importance of whole grains.

In case you are wondering how a campaign promoting ‘whole grains’ works for a brand that has several high-fat snack foods (in any case, less healthy foods) in its product portfolio, the PepsiCo spokesperson has explained the connection thus: ‘At PepsiCo India, we believe that a more sustainable food system should meet human needs for both nutrition and enjoyment. We’re working continuously to introduce new products that have more of the nutritious ingredients that our consumers need. Guided by our philosophy of “Winning with Purpose”, PepsiCo India is offering positive nutrition through its brand Quaker Oats. Quaker Oats is a 100% whole grain and natural source of carbohydrates and dietary fibre.’

In response to another question from CauseBecause on whether PepsiCo has reduced sugar, salt and calories in its beverages and snacks to promote ‘healthy’ eating among consumers, especially children, the spokesperson says: ‘As part of our portfolio transformation in the snacks category, we have already reduced 5% to 25% sodium across popular variants of our snacks flagship brands, Lay’s and Kurkure, and we further aim at reducing sodium in 75% of our food’s portfolio by 2025.   Additionally, we reduced 15% saturated fat in the entire Lay’s potato chips range. Under our ‘nutrition’  portfolio brands – Quaker and Tropicana, we offer a range of healthier choices. As for beverages, we have been offering consumers a wide range of beverages including variants with no sugar or less sugar, like Sting. The sugar content in Sting is lower than many beverages in this segment.’

The percentages are as yet too low for most of the brand’s products to be termed ‘healthy’. Far from it. The drinks are still sugary and the snacks salty. Readers can read in-between the lines and accordingly keep tabs on how much of what they consume.