PURCHASE, NEW YORK, US — PepsiCo, Inc. plans to invest $30 million in agriculture and food security initiatives by 2030 through its Zero Hunger Pledge, according to its 2024 global social impact report issued on June 9. As part of this goal, the company delivered 8.8 million meals and provided 220,000 individuals with access to nutritious meals throughout 2024.

“Through the foundation’s food access initiatives, we’re working to scale innovative, sustainable solutions tailored to local communities, helping ensure greater access to affordable, nutritious food,” PepsiCo said. “From supporting food banks and community nutrition programs to delivering meals to children most in need, learn how we’re partnering to help address hunger and barriers to food security across the globe, while advancing our vision of a more equitable food system.”

The report also elaborated how PepsiCo South Africa offered some of its grain-based food products to disenfranchised primary school students as part of its efforts to address food insecurity.

“… around the world, food insecurity remains a barrier to education,” the report said. “In South Africa, we are proud to operate the Schools Breakfast Nutrition Program, which provides a nutritious breakfast of Bokomo Weet-Bix, Bokomo Corn Flakes and White Star Instant Porridge, all served with milk, to over 34,000 underprivileged primary school children every school weekday. Now in its tenth year, the program operates across 35 schools in underserved communities across seven provinces of the country.”

PepsiCo also has continued its partnership with the international humanitarian organization CARE to expand their joint food security program She Feeds the World, which aims to economically empower small-scale producers around the world.

“Building on years of partnership, in 2024, CARE and the PepsiCo Foundation expanded the She Feeds the World program to Türkiye,” PepsiCo said. “Since 2018, it has supported farmers in Uganda, Egypt, Peru, Colombia, Vietnam, Thailand and Pakistan and has reached over 3.6 million farmers and members of their communities.”

On the topic of farming, PepsiCo is continuing its Mexico-based Agrovita initiative, which provides small-scale farmers in rural areas with resources for sustainable farming practices. The report said Agrovita helped more than 1,000 farmers in the Mexican states of Tabasco and Chiapas improve their household income in 2024.

“Agrovita is helping small scale farmers become agricultural entrepreneurs — introducing climate-smart practices and local value-added production,” PepsiCo said. “These innovations are laying the foundation for a more inclusive and resilient food system.”

Moreover, the report detailed the progress of its PepsiCo’s nascent agricultural program Planting Pathways, which is intended to expand opportunities in the US farming industry.

“Through partnerships with organizations like Practical Farmers of Iowa and Farm Foundation, the initiative provides farmers with business training, mentorship and access to capital while also equipping college students with scholarships, paid internships and career development opportunities,” PepsiCo said. “In its first year, Planting Pathways reached over 100 aspiring and beginning agricultural professionals, helping to future-proof the global food system.”

In terms of noteworthy product innovations, the report also highlighted how the PepsiCo subsidiary Quaker Oats Co. has partnered with PepsiCo Brazil to develop a rice product that was not only high in protein and fiber but also environmentally sustainable.