Government asks Pepsi to cut sugar content

NEW DELHI: Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Tuesday asked PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi to bring down sugar content in its products, hours before Nooyi had a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Nooyi apprised Modi about PepsiCo's investments and other initiatives including social programmes in the country, a person familiar with the development said. "It was a courtesy call without any agenda," the person said. PepsiCo had last year announced plans to invest Rs33,000 crore in India by 2020.

According to a statement from the food processing ministry, Badal asked Nooyi to bring down the sugar content in PepsiCo soft drinks. The maker of Pepsi cola and Mountain Dew citrus-flavoured drink declined to comment on reducing sugar content in its soft drinks. A person familiar with the company said internationally PepsiCo is working on reducing sodium and sugar levels in its products as part of a stated global goal.