PepsiCo pledges to advance food security for 50m people

PepsiCo has pledged to help 50 million people gain ready access to nutritious food options by 2030 (against a 2020 baseline).

The commitment will be achieved through the company’s Food for Good food security programme and by expanding its affordable nutrition offerings as part of its PepsiCo Positive (pep+) strategy. 

This new goal will take place alongside PepsiCo’s Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge, committing $100 million in positive agriculture and food security initiatives by 2030. The Pledge includes training farmers, helping strengthen agricultural production, increasing crop yields and supporting the journey towards a more resilient food supply. 

Established in the US, Food for Good is a childhood nutrition partnership with local leaders focused on collaborative, community-centric activities. Through the expansion of this programme, PepsiCo hopes to advance long-term food security for people of all ages. 

Investments include: a $1 million grant to World Food Programme (WFP) to develop partnerships in the Middle East and North Africa, focused on improving food security needs of “communities affected by climate change, conflict, natural disasters and humanitarian crises”; and growth of the She Feeds the World project, which aims to ensure “gender equality and economic empowerment” of women in agriculture worldwide (expanding into Colombia, Nigeria, Turkey, Thailand and Vietnam in 2022). 

Meanwhile, Quaker is partnering with regional non-governmental organisations CARE and Un Kilo de Ayuda to combat childhood malnutrition through programmes like Quaker Qrece – “a holistic intervention that provides a specialised food product and education in at-risk communities in Guatemala and Mexico”.

“The world is facing a dire global hunger crisis, which has only been exacerbated by the pandemic,” said Jon Banner, executive vice president, PepsiCo global communications, and president of The PepsiCo Foundation. “As a leading global food and beverage company, we have a critical role to play in realising a more equitable global food system to ensure the communities we serve are free from hunger and malnutrition.”

He continued: “We are proud to leverage our global capabilities in collaboration with local community partners in new ways, but it is just one step in a long journey toward realising zero hunger and ensuring a sustainable future for all”. 

World Food Programme USA president and CEO, Barron Segar, added: “We are grateful to PepsiCo for their decade-long partnership and steadfast support as we work to defeat global hunger. PepsiCo’s critical investments in sustainable agriculture and building the resilience of small-scale farmers are helping us make great progress in addressing the root causes of hunger.”

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