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Pepsi Pledges To Cut Sugar In Drinks

Glass Pepsi bottles are marked with "real sugar" labels

With global soda sales declining and sugary drinks in the crosshairs of world health advocates, PepsiCo has announced plans to dial back its calorie counts.

The company says it plans to reduce calories from added sugar down to 100 calories or less per 12-ounce serving in two thirds of its drinks by 2025.

The Wall Street Journal reported that currently about 40 percent of Pepsi's beverages fall under that threshold.

Since the target is based on the total volume of its "global beverage portfolio," and companies don't like to say publicly how much stuff they're selling, it's hard to know exactly what the new target means.

The new target is lower than a previous goal to cut sugar by 25 percent in some drinks and some markets by 2020.

A regular can of Pepsi currently has 150 calories from added sugar.

According to PepsiCo's website, the company sells 493 different kinds of drinks, including AMP energy drinks, Brisk and Lipton iced teas, Gatorade, SoBe, Starbucks canned coffees, Dole and Tropicana fruit juices. Out of those products, 292 of have added sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

The announcement this week was part of an overall "sustainability agenda," which includes cutting back on salt and saturated fat.

The company also pledges to use water resources more efficiently, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and food waste, and donate to programs that support women and girls worldwide.

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