PepsiCo Canada proudly supports launch of nutrition labeling initiative

27 million PepsiCo Canada brand packages to carry % Daily Value messages and icon on the label

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 22 /CNW/ - As part of its continuous journey to help consumers make informed nutrition choices, PepsiCo Canada is proud to support the Nutrition Facts Education Campaign, a collaboration of Food & Consumer Products of Canada and Health Canada, which launched today.

The initiative is a broad-based education campaign aimed at helping Canadians to better understand and use the Nutrition Facts Table (NFT) on pre-packaged foods, particularly the % Daily Value, to make informed food choices. The % Daily Value allows consumers to quickly identify whether a packaged food contains a little or a lot of a nutrient. This information can help when choosing a food or deciding between products.

The % Daily Value icon and messages will appear on over 27 million packages of key PepsiCo Canada brands, including Pepsi, Tropicana, Quaker Ready to Eat Cereal, Lay's, Baked! Lay's and SunChips, starting in late 2010 and into 2011.

"As an industry leader with some of the world's best known and most trusted brands in our portfolio, we have a responsibility and a desire to help our consumers make informed choices," says Linda Kuga Pikulin, president, PepsiCo Beverages Canada. "Within the beverage division, it was important for us to start with our flagship brands - Pepsi and Tropicana - as a demonstration of our commitment to educate on a large scale."

"We are committed to playing a responsible and supportive role in the health and wellness of Canadians," says Marc Guay, president, PepsiCo Foods Canada. "Part of that is making food choices easier for consumers by providing easy-to-understand nutrition labeling on our products. This new education initiative enhances the consumer's understanding of % Daily Value, and we're excited to include those messages on select brands within our Quaker and Frito Lay Canada portfolios."

PepsiCo Canada is one of 34 leading companies committed to the consumer communication education effort. The multi-faceted approach will include on-package, in-store, national media (print, television, online) and an educational website with tips on how to use the % Daily Value information to make informed choices.

For more information about how to use the % Daily Value information please visit www.healthcanada.gc.ca/dailyvalue.

About PepsiCo Canada

PepsiCo's businesses in Canada are organized into two business units. PepsiCo Foods Canada includes Frito Lay Canada and the Quaker Foods & Snacks businesses. PepsiCo Beverages Canada includes the Pepsi, Gatorade and Tropicana businesses. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.ca.

About PepsiCo, Inc.

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries. With annualized revenues of nearly $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

About Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC)

Food & Consumer Products of Canada is the largest industry association representing Canadian-operated food, beverage and consumer product companies that make and market national and retailer brands sold through retail and foodservice outlets. The industry we represent employs almost 300,000 Canadians in more than 6,000 manufacturing facilities in every region across the country.

For further information: Maureen Juniper, PraxisPR, 905-949-8255 x 226, [email protected]