Somewhat serendipitously, I opted to read the May 16 edition of The New Yorker featuring an in-depth profile on PepsiCo’s food and beverage innovation plans while traveling to last month’s IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo in New Orleans. The “Snacks for a Fat Planet” article by John Seabrook details PepsiCo’s plans for innovation across its portfolio of products with insight from senior PepsiCo executives, including Jonathan McIntyre, senior vice president of R&D global beverages, who was featured in Beverage Industry’s April cover story.
Similar to PepsiCo’s corporate Performance with Purpose goals, innovations on display at the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo included prototypes addressing specific population segments, health conditions and nutritional deficiencies. Ingredient suppliers featured herbal-derived flavors, low- or no-calorie sweetener solutions as well as a lineup of functional ingredients that addressed weight management, stress-related conditions and age-defying wishes.