PepsiCo is replacing traditional seed oils, such as canola and soyabean oil, with avocado and olive oil in several product categories. PepsiCo ©
US food and drink giant PepsiCo is increasing its use of avocado and olive oil across several product categories in place of traditional seed oils, such as canola and soyabean oil, according to a DesignRush report citing a Reuters article.
The company would also be reformulating its Lay’s and Tostitos snack brands without synthetic colours or flavours by the end of this year, the 21 July report said.
In place of synthetic additives, the snacks would now focus on whole-food basics like potatoes, oil and salt.
The reformulation was part of a wider drive within the company to meet growing consumer interest in simpler ingredients, DesignRush wrote.
PepsiCo’s announcement came against a backdrop of growing political and social pressure, with US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) campaign calling on food manufacturers to phase out synthetic dyes and processed oils, the report said.
In a LinkedIn post, Kennedy welcomed the move and urged other food companies to follow suit in a growing movement to “Make America Healthy Again”.
During a call with investors, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta was quoted as saying: “We’re trying to elevate the real food perception of Lay’s.
“If you think about the simplest and most natural snack, it is a potato chip; it’s a potato, it’s oil, and it’s a little bit of salt – the most simple, no artificial ingredients.”
Earlier this month, leading coffee chain Starbucks said it was exploring how to remove canola oil from its food menu in the USA, according to a Straits Times report citing a Bloomberg News article.
As one example, the company was considering making its egg white and roasted red pepper bites without canola oil, a spokesman told Bloomberg News.
The coffee chain would also be adding a new egg bite to its menu made using avocado oil, the 8 July report said.
Although Kennedy has specifically targeted seed oils, including canola and soyabeans, multiple meta-analyses had indicated they had no significant impact on inflammation or the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, the report said.
Dining and Cooking