By describing the important functions that watersheds perform – from filtering runoff to absorbing flood waters to recharging groundwater reserves – the report makes the case for business involvement and provides examples of actions that companies have taken around the world. These range from PepsiCo India’s direct rice seeding project to SABMiller’s water futures partnership to Kimberly-Clark’s community water saving program.

Water will always be vital to business, communities, and the environment. By working together to protect and preserve watersheds, businesses and other local stakeholders can help ensure that water will be available.

Pepsi, introduced here more than 100 years ago, has a long history of bonding with consumers through music, and that tradition will continue for years to come through the Pepsi Center in Mexico City. With the main concert and event producer in Latin America and a real estate partner, we created a state-of-the-art venue for concerts, expositions and sporting events. Since opening in March, it’s hosted some of the biggest names in music—bringing people together for the same kind of joy and fun they love about Pepsi.

Gatorade, the world leader in sports hydration, is also the top choice for Mexican athletes. It fuels Olympic fútbol player Oribe Peralta and Olympic diver Paola Espinosa. In fact, business magazine Gestion y Negocios recently ranked Gatorade among the best, most-loved and best-advertised brands in the country.

That’s because Gatorade understands how to meet the needs of athletes everywhere, including some of Mexico’s greatest. Earlier this year, Gatorade opened a mobile branch of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) inside the facility of CNAR — the national center for development of athletes — and also inside of the Club Santos Laguna — Clausura 2012 champions. Here, scientists studied high-performance athletes and first division fútbol players, and gave them the hydration and nutrition they needed to optimize their performance. It’s the research and science that goes into every Gatorade product, helping athletes across the country “Win from Within.”

To see photos, click here

We saw it firsthand during a visit to Burger King. When you go to BK in Mexico, you get customized Whopper-flavored Ruffles with your burger—served with your favorite beverage like Pepsi, Mirinda or 7UP. And the BK Storm ice cream, topped with our Milch chocolate and Emperador cookies, is a sweet way to finish a meal.With all of our beloved brands, this is the kind of experience that only PepsiCo can deliver.

We also talked to our customers about our popular baked products, like our delicious nutritious cookies, developed here in Mexico. Mexican consumers have fallen in love with these cookies, so PepsiCo has brought them to consumers around the world.  This line of healthy cookies is now in 25 countries, showing how PepsiCo Mexico delivers locally and around the globe.

To see photos, click here

Important in Latin cuisine is umami, one of the five basic tastes we experience when eating. It’s a brothy or savory taste naturally occurring in the flavor DNA of foods such as tomatoes and mushrooms, and developed through fermentation in products like soy sauce and parmesan cheese. If we take a look into the Latin pantry, we’ll find a variety of ingredients that deliver umami to enhance and develop flavors in recipes:

• Maggi is one of the most popular ingredients used in modern Latin cuisine. It is a dark and savory fermented sauce used for seasoning. Invented by Julius Maggi in 1890, it’s an inexpensive substitute for a reduction of natural beef stock.
• Many cured and dried meat products are umami-rich. One example from South America is carne-de-sol, or sundried meat, which is made by slicing beef, salting it, and letting it dry in the sun for a couple of days. Carne-del-sol is a main ingredient in feijoada, a classic South American bean stew with beef and pork.
• The Spanish pantry contains a multitude of products with umami notes, like sardines, anchovies and cheeses, but my favorite is Iberico ham. It is made in a similar fashion as prosciutto, but produced from a black-footed pig that feeds on acorns. It is often enjoyed on pan con tomata, a Catalan dish of toasted bread, drizzled with olive oil and rubbed with garlic and tomato – two other umami-rich ingredients.
• Huitalacoche, well known for its dark and musty flavor, is also referred to as corn fungus because it grows on ears of corn – usually in very warm temperatures and drought conditions. Huitalacoche is an acquired taste and is hard for some to palate. However, it can enhance flavor if used subtly in recipes, like in sopa de flor de calabaza, or squash blossom soup (see recipe below).

Are your taste buds getting excited? Try some of these Latin-inspired umami flavors in your own recipes, and check out an image gallery of a sampling of PepsiCo products that feature umami taste experiences, as well as spice and heat, similar to the tastes found in Latin cuisine.

SQUASH BLOSSOM ROASTED CORN HUITLACOCHE SOUP
(adapted from The Texas Hill Country Cookbook)

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons butter
2 ears of corn kernels, removed from cob

3 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and cut in strips
1 cup coarsely chopped zucchini
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces huitlacoche
2 cups sliced mushrooms
4 cups squash blossoms, stems and pistils discarded, coarsely chopped
6 cups low-fat and low-sodium chicken broth
Salt to taste

Tostitos Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips, lightly crushed
Sour cream
Chopped cilantro

Prepare the soup:
- In a large sauce pan over medium heat, cook the onion in butter until translucent.
- Add the corn, chiles, zucchini, garlic, and huitlacoche and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Stir in the mushrooms and squash blossoms and cook for 4 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes. Salt to taste.
- To serve,  use wide soup bowls and garnish with Tostitos chips, sour cream and cilantro.

We began the year with a visit from Prime Minster David Cameron, as we announced a multi-million pound expansion of our Quaker Oats site in Scotland, followed by the opening of our new distribution centre in Peterlee, and then our investment in Walkers in Leicester, creating 110 jobs. At the same time, our brands have enjoyed great success. Take the Quaker Oat So Simple brand reaching a milestone £80 million in brand value – up £10 million in less than six months. Meanwhile, brand Pepsi experienced double-digit growth, making it one of the UK’s top 10 grocery brands.

This continued success is due to many factors but none more so than our continued focus on delivering great quality and value for our customers and our consumers. This fact became very clear when Indra and I visited Tesco, a great partner for industry-leading in-store and online promotions, as well as the world’s largest online grocery retailer.

By utilising the strength of our combined beverages and foods business, PepsiCo has a unique edge when it comes to delivering value and great sales results. Take our promotion this summer, when we brought together Doritos and Pepsi MAX with football sensation Lionel Messi. This in-store and on-pack activity helped generate tremendous excitement around both brands, and created value for our retail partner.

So this week, it is with great excitement that we launch our latest programme in the UK, bringing together Pepsi MAX with Walkers Extra Crunchy to celebrate the latest series of The X-Factor. And to deliver even greater value, we are working side-by-side with Tesco to create exclusive offers for its shoppers, including a show-stopping five-star trip to the final of The X-Factor.

As a truly momentous, gold medal-laden British summer comes to an end, I am delighted to say that PepsiCo’s momentum in the UK, Ireland and South Africa is going strong, with phenomenal brand activities, product innovation and gold-standard in-store activation.

To see photos, click here.

Sustainability isn’t a box you check.  It’s a journey that requires us to strive for continual improvement in what we make, how we make it, and how good an employer we are.  To make sure we are on the right path, we actively partner with our stakeholders – including consumers, customers, governments and NGOs.  We also benchmark ourselves against other companies to ensure we are at the vanguard of our industry.

Today, the associates of PepsiCo got some terrific affirmation that we are on the right path:  We have been included in Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI) for the sixth straight year.  We also made the DJSI’s North American Index for the seventh straight year.  Only the top 10 percent of the world’s largest 2,500 companies are selected for the World Index – and the top 20 percent for the North America Index.

The DJSI is considered the most credible independent assessment of corporate sustainability performance.  It has established itself as a benchmark and management tool for corporations around the world.

The bottom line is that PepsiCo is outperforming peer companies in sustainability metrics such as corporate governance, risk management, energy efficiency and occupational health and safety.  We also received perfect scores from DJSI in critical areas such as risk and crisis management, environmental policy and management systems, packaging and raw material sourcing.

These recognitions mean quite a lot to us at PepsiCo.  They are more than a pat on the back.  They are an acknowledgment that our commitment to Performance with Purpose is truly guiding how we do business: the foods and beverages we make, the way we respect the environment, and the supportive, inclusive and empowering workplaces we create for our associates around the world.

And that makes me feel great about working here.

Let me start with a riddle: What do comedian George Lopez, Vice President Biden and our very own Al Carey, CEO of PepsiCo Americas Beverages, have in common?

On Thursday, September 13^th, they’ll all play a role in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Anniversary Awards Gala, joining 2,500 powerful leaders in Washington, D.C. at the largest and most prestigious gathering of Latinos in the nation, where PepsiCo is proud to be Host Sponsor. Each year, CHCI serves as the unofficial kick-off for Hispanic Heritage Month around the country.

Everyone has the opportunity to watch the Gala via a live webcast (7-11 PM Eastern Time). Tune in to see remarkable Latinos receive CHCI’s highest honors, and at 7:30 PM, hear Al Carey’s speak to why Latinos matter to PepsiCo, and how we’re supporting their empowerment and education.

This year CHCI celebrates a milestone 35 years of fulfilling its mission of bringing the promise of the American Dream to the next generation of Latinos, and PepsiCo has been a staunch supporter since the very beginning.

As a Latino, I’m particularly proud of PepsiCo’s history of commitment to CHCI since its inception, contributing to the organization’s leadership development programs and educational services for Latino youth and young professionals. And, I feel a personal connection to CHCI, as it was 19 years ago at the Gala that by chance I was introduced to PepsiCo and networked with Latino executives, which led to me joining the company over a decade later.

PepsiCo’s support for the CHCI Summer Congressional Internship Program and CHCI’s Graduate Health Policy Fellowship are helping expose young Latinos to the legislative process to strengthen their skills, ultimately promoting the presence of Latinos on Capitol Hill. Over the last 10 years, PepsiCo has played a direct role in helping more than 500 aspiring Latino leaders earn internships that would set them up for successful careers.

The CHCI sponsorship is part of our company’s Hispanic corporate initiative, La Promesa de PepsiCo, which is inspired by our mission of Performance with Purpose, and focused on helping build stronger Latino communities. It is gratifying to work for a company where I can participate with our leadership, our award-winning Latino employee resource group, Adelante, and other associates who are helping Hispanics lead healthier, more prosperous lives.

Permítanme comenzar con una adivinanza: ¿qué tienen en común el comediante George López, el vicepresidente Biden y nuestro Al Carey, presidente ejecutivo de PepsiCo Bebidas América?

El jueves, 13 de septiembre, todos ellos tienen un papel clave en la gala de entrega de premios del Instituto del Comité de Congresistas Hispanos (CHCI, por sus siglas en inglés), junto con otros 2.500 poderosos líderes, en Washington, D.C., en el más grande y prestigioso encuentro de latinos en la nación, en el cual PepsiCo está orgulloso de ser el patrocinador principales. Cada año, CHCI da inicio de manera no oficial al Mes de la Hispanidad en todo el país.

Todos tienen la oportunidad de ver la gala a través del webcast en vivo (de 7 a 11 pm ET). A través del link podrán ver y escuchar a talentosos latinos recibiendo un reconocimiento de CHCI. A las 7:30 pm, Al Carey estará al aire hablando sobre la importancia que tienen los latinos para PepsiCo, y como estamos apoyando su fortalecimiento y educación.

Este año marca los 35 años de CHCI cumpliendo su misión de llevar la promesa del sueño americano a la próxima generación de latinos, y PepsiCo ha apoyado a la organización desde el primer momento.

Como latino, estoy particularmente orgulloso del compromiso histórico que ha tenido PepsiCo con CHCI desde su creación, contribuyendo a sus programas de desarrollo de liderazgo y servicios educativos para latinos jóvenes y profesionales. Siento una conexión personal con CHCI, porque casualmente en una gala como esta, hace 19 años, me presentaron a los ejecutivos de PepsiCo y sus asociados hispanos que me llevaron a formar parte de la compañía más de una década después.

El apoyo de PepsiCo al programa de becas, CHCI Summer Congressional Internship Program y el Programa de Becas de Postgrado CHCI’s Graduate Health Policy Fellowship, ayudan a exponer a jóvenes latinos al proceso legislativo, para fortalecer sus capacidades profesionales y de liderazgo, con el objetivo final de promover la presencia de los latinos en el Congreso. En los últimos 10 años, PepsiCo ha jugado un papel fundamental en ayudar a más de 500 líderes latinos que aspiran ganar pasantías que les permitirán establecerse en carreras exitosas.

El patrocinio a CHCI es parte de la iniciativa corporativa hispana de nuestra empresa, La Promesa de PepsiCo, que se inspira en nuestra misión Performance with Purpose, y se enfoca en ayudar a construir comunidades hispanas más fuertes. Es gratificante trabajar para una empresa en la cual puedo participar con nuestros líderes, nuestro galardonado grupo de recursos para empleados latinos Adelante, y otros socios que están ayudando a los hispanos a llevar vidas más prósperas y saludables.

We are proud of these accomplishments but we know there is more work to do. At PepsiCo, we believe that social, economic and environmental sustainability is critical for the continued health and success of communities and for the long-term, profitable growth of our business. As a leading global food and beverage company – water stewardship and sustainable agriculture are truly part of our business.

World Water Week’s theme – water and food security – highlighted the importance of maintaining our dedication to responsible water stewardship and agricultural productivity, particularly as we heard dire statistics on water scarcity and the lack of food worldwide.

In Stockholm, our own Sanjeev Chadha, President of PepsiCo Middle East and Africa, noted in his remarks at both the opening plenary and award ceremony that water plays a crucial and complex role in many facets of our society. It truly sits at the nexus of food, energy, health and education. In order to ensure water and food security for the next billion, we need to continue to collaborate, share best practices, and drive creative thinking.

The importance of partnerships and collaboration was echoed throughout World Water Week, and will continue to be a key component of our approach to water stewardship and sustainable agriculture. In fact, despite all the formal panels that occur throughout the week some of the most meaningful content is generated on the sidelines. For example, we had a side lunch one day with a variety of organizations involved in farmer verification programs. The discussions were introductory, and helped us form some next steps on what types of training programs are needed and who we might be able to work with. PepsiCo is eager to lead on this issue and is excited about moving the agenda forward.

Agriculture is building in the importance it plays in food security and the forum not only allowed us to extend our knowledge on the critical area of water and the role it has, but extended our discussions into areas such as the impact of climate volatility, knowledge transfer and new agriculture technologies that will bring advancements to global farming as well as the investment opportunities to make that happen.

World Water Week highlighted many of the immense challenges that we all face as the population of our planet grows. The good news is that we are seeing leadership from companies, NGOs and governments from all over the world. As Mr. Chadha said in Stockholm, “there is no question that we are living in an age of incredible promise.” Now, we must continue to turn the tide on water and food security to ensure that we can deliver the Recipe for the Next Billion.

On Monday, PepsiCo and the Columbia Water Center (CWC) at the Earth Institute, Columbia University convened a panel titled Water and Energy Efficiencies in Food Supply Chains: Leveraging Partnerships.  We started the discussion by describing PepsiCo’s ReCon program, which focuses on identifying, quantifying, and prioritizing opportunities to conserve resources in our operating plants. We then devoted most of the session to the conservation challenges and opportunities in our agriculture supply chain.

Ian Hope-Johnstone, director of agricultural sustainability, described the actions PepsiCo and our partners have taken to improve India’s potato productivity while using less water; our collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank in supporting Mexican sunflower farmers; and i-crop, a system that allows integrated management of water, nutrient, and crop practices appropriate to a farm’s specific climate and geography.

Professor Upmanu Lall, director of the Columbia Water Center focused his presentation on the challenges and successes the Center has faced in working with farmers in India to ensure that their crops get exactly the right amount of water – not too little and not too much. He described a variety of different moisture sensors, with costs ranging from more than $250 to less than $10.  The more economic ones use simple, affordable technologies to show farmers the level of water in the soil.

Both presentations showed the impact that PepsiCo, in collaboration with our partners, have already had, as well as the incredible opportunities that lie ahead to make our water management processes and tools even smarter and more efficient, while benefitting local farmers and their communities.