PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi on Tuesday met the Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and talked about the company’s effort to introduce products that are healthy and nutritious.
According to an official statement released by the Ministry, Nooyi apprised the Minister about the substantial investments the company is making in the country. Last year, PepsiCo said along with its partners, it plans to invest Rs 33,000 crore by 2020 in India. These investments will be made in strategic areas that include agriculture, innovation, manufacturing and infrastructure.
Highlighting the large segment of kids in the rural areas suffering from iron deficiency, Badal talked about potential partnerships for providing healthy meals to school children, especially in rural regions, and the potential for introducing iron-fortified packaged products in the mid-day meal programme.
“The Food Processing Industries Minister suggested to the PepsiCo Chairman that they partner India in research and development of processed food products that can be supplied as part of the mid-day meal in rural India,” the Ministry said in a statement.
Badal also talked about issues such as bringing down the sugar content of soft drinks, among others.
Last year, PepsiCo in collaboration with the Clinton Foundation launched a social enterprise model to source vitamin-rich cashew fruit from smallholder farmers. The company said this initiative was expected to create an important new ingredient supply for PepsiCo’s local juice business while simultaneously improving the livelihood of thousands of cashew growers in the region. The PepsiCo Chairman also talked about this initiative during her meeting with the Minister.
Nooyi, who is on an India visit, met the Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday. She is expected to call on the Prime Minister this week.