Pepsico’s Shortcut to a Healthier Life
By George Anderson
Pepsico has placed an emphasis on offering healthier products and now it wants to make it easier for consumers to identify those items with green
“Smart Spot” stickers.
The consumer packaged goods manufacturer isn’t claiming that all the products sporting the “Smart Spot” stickers are healthy, only that they are
an improvement over other items in the category.
Pepsico chooses the products based on “authoritative statements” from sources such as the Food and Drug Administration and the National Academy
of Sciences.
Marion Nestle, a nutrition professor at New York University, told USA Today she was concerned consumers may see the stickers as giving them
the go-ahead to eat foods they “shouldn’t be eating at all.”
Penny Kris-Etherton, professor of nutrition at Penn State University, agrees that there are foods consumers should stay away from, but if they are
going to do it anyway, eating a baked chip makes more sense than a fried one. It “is a healthier option,” she said.
Moderator’s Comment: Do you think Pepsico’s “Smart Spot” healthier food initiative will backfire on the company or will it be a means to drive the sales
of its products?
USA Today reports, “Smart Spot products accounted for 38% of PepsiCo’s U.S. revenue last year.” –
George Anderson – Moderator