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PepsiCo is changing the way it fries its popular Lay's potato chips. This is because the company wants to make it a healthier snack.
It was reported that PepsiCo will phase out palm oil and shift to sunflower. Currently, the company is testing the new oil blend for its Lay's products.
Palm vs. Sunflower Oil for Food Production
According to Timeline Daily, the Indian unit of PepsiCo, which manufactures the Lay's potato chip brand, started the trial last year. The move is meant to replace the palm oil and palm olein mixture with a combination of sunflower and palm olein to produce the said snack line.
PepsiCo India's spokesman added that the company aims to reduce salt in its snack products. It is working to lessen the amount by taking out less than 1.3 milligrams of sodium per calorie. The company hopes to achieve this by the year 2025.
A Shift for Healthier Food Offering
There have been a lot of reports about global companies that make packaged food regarding the use of unhealthy ingredients. There were also allegations that major food manufacturers are using cheaper ingredients, especially in developing countries.
Due to this, health advocates and social media personalities started raising the issues and voicing their opinions about the dangers of unhealthy food. Thus, PepsiCo is taking measures amid the criticisms over the use of palm oil in its products. This type of oil is believed to be harmful and is only being used because it is cheaper.
Based on the reports, this oil has higher saturated fat content, which may raise LDL cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease if consumed often or in high amounts. PepsiCo India is now moving towards sunflower oil and palm olein mix to address the concerns.
"There are often different recipes for foods or drinks in different countries, which is attributed to several factors such as local preferences, manufacturing capabilities, ingredient availability and market dynamics," India Today quoted PepsiCo India's spokesman as saying in a statement.
"Ingredients are listed on every product we sell in India, allowing consumers to make conscious decisions about their purchases."
He added, "In this context, PepsiCo India initiated trials of a blend of sunflower oil and palmolein oil in certain parts of our portfolio last year, becoming one of the few players in the food industry in India to do so."
Photo by: Olga Kozachenko/Unsplash
