For five years, Derek Yach pushed to make PepsiCo the brand behind munchies like Lays and Cheetos a producer of healthier, lower sodium, lower sugar foods and beverages.
The responses were both sweet and salty.
There are parts of a company where the support and awareness of the needs to change are very high, Yach reflects. But of course there were many who isolated me.
Yach is attending this year’s Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado as corporate insiders reflect on their role in creating a healthy society. He was brought on by PepsiCos CEO, Indra Nooyi. Yach says she saw the potential of a multinational to influence public health with different products.
While I was there, I saw the growth of hummus, the launch of dairy products for the first time, yogurt, and we saw a range of other healthier products being tested,” says Yach.
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