SNIPPETS: The True Taste Of PepsiCo By Amy Lister

Say No To Palm Oil! Photo © thepetitionsite.com

The Consumer Goods Forum (CFG) is an industry in which PepsiCo is a part of and which leads and encourages deforestation. The industry as a whole uses many products such as;soya, palm oil, beef, paper and board all which are all problematic. The palm oil is mainly used for PepsiCo’s chip, cookie and granola bar corporations. Though PepsiCo is recognized all around the world and is considered to be one of the most outstanding food companies, little do many realize that this company will do absolutely everything within its power to increase its profits and production regardless of the consequences to the environment. PepsiCo uses 457,200 metric tons of palm oil every day.

Deforestation

PepsiCo Announces ZERO Deforestation Commitment for Palm Oil Photo © Mongabay.com

PepsiCo’s deforestation habits and large consumptions of palm oil lead to another disaster of its own, climate change and greenhouse gases. Many companies have taken the steps necessary for reducing the amount of palm oil that they consume, except for PepsiCo. PepsiCo is well educated on the causes and impacts that the CGF sets on climate change and the creation of greenhouse gases. It is said that deforestation is one of the main causes for climate change. “Forests are vital for life, home to millions of species, they protect soil from erosion, produce oxygen, store carbon dioxide and help control climate.” (Climate & Weather, n.d.) Forests play a major role in the carbon cycle that travels the entire planet.

Photo © WorldWildLife.org

When forests are cut down, they are forced to release a chemical called CO2. The CO2 accumulates in the atmosphere and creates a thicker ozone layer, which means that the rays of the sun have difficulty reflecting back upwards once they hit earth. Thus, many of the rays do not make it through the ozone layer, which causes the earth to heat up. Due to deforestation, there is approximately 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide that is set free. “Over 30 million acres of forests and woodlands are lost every year due to deforestation.”(Climate & Weather, n.d.)

"I've got your Palm Oil Right Here PepsiCo!" Photo © CollegeHumor.com

Due to PepsiCo's huge amount of palm oil being used, many forests must be cut down in Indonesia. This affects the animals whose homes are in these areas. One of the most endangered species, which is close to facing extinction, would be, the Orangutan. It is estimated that 1000-1500 orangutans that lose their lives is due to their homes being destroyed just so the palm oil industries can grab more land to produce palm oil. In only a span of 20 years, orangutans lost 90% of their habitat. The more PepsiCo demands palm oil, the more species like Orangutans are close to extinction.

Water

Photo © Nadia Khastagir - India Resource Centre

PepsiCo. owns 7up, Mountain Dew, Mug, Aquafina, Lipton and the SoBe brand corporations. In order for the industry to produce its beverage products, water is in needed. Firstly, India is a country which struggles with maintaining and balancing it's water sources, in order to provide enough for its population. The industry has been accused for using over 5.168 billion litres in all of India's water. While citizens of India are in need of water for their survival, carelessly, PepsiCo takes advantage. If they want to grow one kilogram of potatoes, a total of 291 litres of water is needed. All of this water is taken from the sources of India yet PepsiCo claims that they only use 5.168 billion litres. The industry announced to the public that they had a ' positive water balance. (India Resource Center and Community Resource Center, 2011).

Photo © Nadia Khastagir - India Resource Centre

Out of the thirty-four types of plants being used by the industry, the government of India has mentioned that nine of them are being over exploited, causing stress situations for the population of Kerala. The population receives their water sources from ground water systems. Within the 300 hectares of estate in Kerala, the industry owns and uses twenty-two hectares. This means that the industry uses a total of 48% of the groundwater, from the given area. “We want Pepsi to close down its factory because over 45,000 people in this Panchayat are affected and ground water is our only water sources” says K Suresh, a Panchayat president. (Polluting Groundwater, 2007)

Photo © Nadia Khastagir - India Resource Centre

Not only does PepsiCo over use water sources but it also contaminates water sources in general. When diet sodas are produced, artificial sweeteners are added to the substance in order make it taste better. Once the human body takes in the sweeteners, the chemicals do not break down therefore, neither does it dissolve in the wastewater treatments that it must undergo afterwards. Substances such as Acesulfame K, Sucralose and Saccharin have been found through samples of rivers and lakes. The U.S. decided to test nineteen of their municipal water supplies, in order to be safe. All of them contained Sucralose.

Human Health

Photo © Lawrence Yang

PepsiCo seems to be doing a great job at persuading its audience into forgetting about their health and focusing on the taste. “Often it is sugars, fats and salts that make foods taste good to us to the point that we crave them or become quasi-addicted to them.” (Albritton, 2009: 177) Obesity has become one of the major problems that parts of the world must face and try to avoid. Diet Soda is supposed to somewhat help out with your diet although it simply creates other health problems. An estimation of 475 adults was monitored for a diet soda test. Researchers from a university in Texas in the department of health science. found that there was a 70% increase in weight gain after drinking diet sodas for ten days. The aspartame tends to raise the glucose level that is found in human blood.

Photo © ConsumerReports.org

PepsiCo's products use a substance called 4-MEI which is an artificial chemical. This chemical is what colors the soft drinks in PepsiCo's soft drinks. Researchers have found that the long term effect of 4-MEI causes serious health conditions such as lung cancer. There is a limited amount of 4-MEI that is allowed in a given amount of soft drinks. However, Proposition 65 is a law that orders labels to be added to certain products if they do not follow the rules to protect human health. This allows individuals who purchase certain products to know what they are consuming. The limit per can or bottle of 4-MEI is respectively set at 29 micrograms. Tests were made on Pepsi One soft drinks and the results proved that there was more than 29 micrograms of 4-MEI in each item. It was concluded that there were between 39.5 - 195.3 micrograms of 4-MEI. Tests were also done on regular Pepsi soft drinks and their results showed that there was between 24.8-174.4 micrograms of 4-MEI.


Though it may not be possible to force people to make the right decision and help prevent PepsiCo from continuing its present practices, what can be done is to help educate people so that they can make informed decisions. PepsiCo, like so many other multinational companies today, only want to make profit regardless of the consequences to our environment. Thus, the next time you feel like a Pepsi, remember, you are what you drink!

References

About The Author

Amy Lister is presently studying at Champlain College Lennoxville located in Quebec, Canada. The True Taste Of PepsiCo was written as part of an assignment for Consumerism, Leisure and Popular Culture in the Department of Humanities.

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