ESG Topics A-Z
Bioengineered food and ingredients

To PepsiCo:
Improved food technology, including bioengineered ingredients, can help us meet our need for high-quality ingredients and our pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) sustainability ambitions, by using fewer resources and/or more sustainable resources, while maintaining our stringent safety and quality standards.
To the World:
Bioengineered foods and ingredients can elevate agricultural productivity, helping to generate higher and more stable yields for farmers. Such crops and ingredients, along with other tools, can help farmers meet the needs of a growing world population and changing nutritional demands, while using fewer resources and increasing resiliency in the face of a changing climate.
Approach
PepsiCo aims to produce great-tasting, high-quality convenient foods and drinks in every part of the world, while also ensuring that our products meet or exceed appropriate safety and quality standards.
Bioengineered ingredients, sometimes referred to as genetically engineered (GE) or genetically modified organisms (GMOs), have been widely used safely in agriculture for more than 20 years.1 They have been proven to be safe for consumption and are often beneficial to the environment, with characteristics like resilience to water shortages and/or resistance to certain pests and crop diseases.2,3 We understand that some consumers and other stakeholders have concerns or questions around the potential impacts of bioengineered food and ingredients on human health or the environment.
Food and consumer safety is important to PepsiCo. We support the use of innovative technologies when they are proven safe for both humans and the environment. The use of bioengineered food and ingredients is safe. Some of the most prominent regulatory agencies and organizations that study the safety of the food supply, including the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization, Health Canada, the European Food Safety Authority and the National Academy of Sciences, have found that bioengineered food and ingredients are safe and no negative health effects associated with their use have been recorded.
PepsiCo's use of bioengineered ingredients
Government approval of the usage and labeling of bioengineered foods differs among regions. Like other global convenient foods and drinks companies, PepsiCo recognizes that different regional markets can have different expectations and consumer preferences as well as varied raw material availability. It is PepsiCo's policy to comply with all relevant regulatory requirements where it operates.
Depending on local factors, PepsiCo’s individual business units or brands may choose not to use bioengineered ingredients, even if such ingredients are government-approved for use. For example, we offer ingredients verified by third parties as non-GMO in Stacy’s® Pita Chips, Quaker® Organic Oatmeal, Simply® brand snacks and Off the Eaten Path® product lines in certain markets.
PepsiCo suppliers who use or grow bioengineered ingredients are expected to follow the same quality, safety and environmental guidelines as conventional suppliers. Our Global Sustainable Agriculture Policy sets standards of performance and expectations for growers across our diverse, global supply chains. Through this policy and our Supplier Code of Conduct, we outline expectations that suppliers comply with laws, regulations and industry standards, including the appropriate use of pesticides. For more information about our ingredient sourcing practices and standards, see Agriculture and Pesticides and other agrochemicals.
Labeling
PepsiCo ensures that products containing bioengineered materials comply with local regulations for their use, including any labeling requirements. We believe that labeling standards should be clear and consistent so that consumers can better understand the safety, prevalence and benefits of bioengineered ingredients and can make informed choices for themselves and their families. For more information on our product labeling practices, see Product labeling and claims.
1U.S. FDA. (2024). Science and History of GMOs and Other Food Modification Processes
2U.S. FDA. (2024). How GMO Crops Impact Our World
3U.K. Natural History Museum. (2021). The future of eating: how genetically modified food will withstand climate change