PepsiCo Australia is now using Australian canola oil to make its major snack brands, reducing the saturated fat product for some popular products by as much as 86 per cent.
The change of cooking oil will reduce saturated fats in Doritos, Twisties, Burger Rings, Cheetos and Tostitos Cantina style tortilla chips, as PepsiCo continues its commitment to minimise its added sugars, sodium and saturated fats for consumers.
PepsiCo ANZ CEO Danny Celoni said the company has been making changes to the portfolio, products and packaging to ensure it can meet consumers’ needs.
“The switch to cooking in Australian canola oil for our major snack brands means more than 90 per cent of our local snack portfolio meets our global PepsiCo 2025 goal to reduce saturated fat in our products to no more than 1.1 grams per 100 calories,” said Celoni.
“Smith’s chips made the shift to Australian canola oil in 2018, and we are proud to have now rolled out this change to more of our great snack brands like Doritos and Twisties.”
“We know that consumer needs and preferences are changing, and Australians are more concerned about their health and wellness than ever before… [and] we remain committed to meet the highest standards for food quality and safety.”
Celoni said the change to Australian canola oil was also a significant investment in Australia agriculture, as PepsiCo Australia will now source around 14,000 tonnes of canola oil produced on farms in New South Wales and Victoria.
“We’re proud that 80 per cent of the produce we use, including the potatoes that go into our iconic Smith’s chips, are grown right here in Australia. PepsiCo ANZ spends more than $120 million annually on Australian produce and we want to ensure we’re able to continue to grow local, manufacture local and employ local people into the future,” he said.
PepsiCo Australia will also start rolling out Health Star Ratings on front of its product packaging, with 67 per cent of its snack products featuring a Health Star Rating by the end of 2019. It is on track to meet government guidelines of 70 per cent by 2023.
Earlier this week, PepsiCo was one of four signatories of the Sugar Reduction Pledge, which reduced sugar content in its beverages by 7 per cent, and is on its way to contributing to the overall goal of reducing sugar by 20 per cent by 2025.
Pepsico ANZ is #22 on our Food & Drink Business Australia's Top 100 Food and Drink Companies 2019.
