PURCHASE, NY. — PepsiCo, Inc., through its Sustainable Farming Program (SFP), made significant strides during 2019 in sourcing agricultural raw materials through more sustainable and resilient agriculture.

According to the company’s 2019 Sustainability Report issued on June 18, nearly 80% of PepsiCo’s farmer-sourced agricultural raw materials, like potatoes, whole corn, oranges and oats, were verified as sustainably sourced, up from 51% in 2018 and well on the way to meeting the company’s goal of 100% by the end of 2020.

“Agriculture is the foundation of PepsiCo’s business — we use more than 25 crops sourced from across 60 countries to make our foods and beverages,” said Simon Lowden, chief sustainability officer. “So, our scale and reach means that the practices we use, and the standards we apply, can have significant influence and impact.

“Through our Sustainable Farming Program, we work with more than 40,000 farmers around the world providing training and techniques like efficient fertilizer- and water-use, helping them increase productivity and resiliency, as well as support for workers’ rights. And on our more than 230 Demonstration Farms, we’re testing and measuring local techniques and solutions, and then hosting Innovation Days for peer-to-peer learning with neighboring farmers. That best-practice sharing enables a ripple effect for wider adoption of sustainable practices, as well as improved livelihoods. I see a lot more potential in this area.

“Additionally, through regenerative agriculture practices — like introducing cover crops — we can actually sequester carbon into the soil, improving the climate impact of the farm while also increasing soil fertility and supporting biodiversity.

“So sustainable agriculture is absolutely a big part of our agenda and key to making progress toward our ambitious goals. I’m really proud of the great work our teams are doing in this area and see a lot of opportunity for us to have a big impact.”

In addition, PepsiCo said 82% of the palm oil it used in 2019 was sustainably sourced, up from 52% in 2018, and 86% of cane sugar was sustainably sourced, up from 58% in 2018.