Soda giant, Pepsi is finally turning against sugar.
PepsiCo announced today that by 2025, two-thirds of its drinks will have 100 calories or fewer from added sugar.
This new development is part of a wider trend in the beverage industry, in a bid to turn around sales as soda consumption drops.
According to Business Insider, a big reason for the decline of soda is a growing body of scientific evidence highlighting the harmful impacts of excess sugar consumption.
As a result, Pepsi and Coke are moving to diversify their offerings and grow sales of drinks such as tea, coffee, and bottled water.
PepsiCo CEO, Indra Nooyi, announced in April, that less than 25% of the company’s global sales are from soda — the same proportion of sales Pepsi brings in from its “naturally nutritious” category, which includes bottled water and unsweetened drinks.
Nooyi calls the emphasis on products aimed at nutritionally-savvy customers “future-proofing” Pepsi’s portfolio, “reshaping it to capitalize on consumers’ increasing interest in health and wellness.”
Coca-Cola is attempting a similar make-over.
COO James Quincey said in a Q&A in July, “Since 2000, we’ve increased our business from about 10% of our volume coming from still beverages to almost 30% today,”
Instead, the company is investing in juice, tea, coffee, and bottled water.
Even when it comes to selling soda, Pepsi and Coca-Cola are finding ways to cut sugar and calories.