PepsiCo, GEPP Advance Large-Scale Calorie Reduction Strategy

PepsiCo and GEPP are advancing a broad reformulation effort aimed at lowering the calorie content across their beverage portfolio in Mexico, marking what both companies describe as their most extensive transformation in more than a decade. The initiative reflects their joint commitment to expanding consumer options with products aligned to national health and wellness priorities.

PepsiCo has advanced its global PepsiCo Positive (pep+) strategy in recent years, placing product innovation and consumer well-being at the center of its business model. This approach has translated into ongoing reformulation, new technological development, and stricter internal standards that exceed market requirements, says the company. Its stated objective has been to maintain flavor and consumer experience while shifting toward beverages with reduced or zero calories.

GEPP, PepsiCo’s exclusive beverage operator in Mexico, has played a central role in implementing the new formulations. With nationwide production, distribution, and commercialization capabilities, GEPP has extended the updated beverages to all package types and sales channels. The companies report that over 75% of their beverage portfolio now falls into the reduced- or zero-calorie category, surpassing commitments made under MexBeb. All key calorie-containing brands have been reformulated.

Calorie reductions are already visible across shelves. Pepsi now contains 59% fewer calories, while flavored brands such as 7Up, Manzanita Sol, and Mirinda have introduced zero-calorie versions. According to the companies, these products now contain fewer calories than comparable offerings from other industry players.

Looking ahead, PepsiCo and GEPP have set a 2030 objective that 90% of their beverage portfolio will contain fewer than 20 calories per 100mL. Meeting this goal will involve expanding reduced- and zero-calorie product lines, promoting responsible consumption, innovating in packaging, and maintaining internal self-regulation practices. Both companies say that their advertising policies exclude direct communication to children and adolescents, and prioritize individual-consumption packaging across communication platforms.

Through this strategy, PepsiCo and GEPP aim to support a long-term shift in the country’s beverage market while contributing to the sector’s evolution and offering more options to Mexican consumers.

Mexico Raises Soft Drink Levy to Reinforce Health Programs

These industry-led changes come as Mexico intensifies its own health policy efforts. Recently, the country announced an increase in its excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages as part of a broader effort to reduce chronic disease and strengthen preventive healthcare, reports MBN. The measure, included in the 2026 economic package, raises the levy from MX$1/L (US$0.05/L) introduced in 2014 to MX$3.1/L, with revenue earmarked entirely for health programs.

“Our goal is not to increase costs, but to reduce consumption,” says Eduardo Clark, Deputy Minister of Integration and Development.

The government first applied the tax in 2014, leading to a 5.5% drop in purchases in the first year and a 9.7% reduction by the second. Officials expect the updated rate to cut consumption by another 7% while generating an additional MX$41 billion (US$2.05 billion) for health initiatives.

Sugar-sweetened beverages remain a central public health concern in Mexico. At 166L per person annually, the country is the world’s largest consumer, reports Clark. These drinks are the main source of dietary sugar and have been linked to high rates of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Three out of four adults now live with overweight or obesity, up from less than 10% in the 1980s. Diabetes cases have risen from 2 million in 1980 to over 12 million, contributing to more than 100,000 deaths each year.