PepsiCo and Yara Join Forces in Latin America to Cultivate a Greener Food Future
- 14-May-2025 3:30 PM
- Journalist: Emilia Jackson
Global food and beverage giant PepsiCo and leading crop nutrition company Yara have announced a significant expansion of their sustainability partnership to Latin America. Building on a successful agreement in Europe, the long-term collaboration aims to decarbonize the food value chain by providing PepsiCo's agricultural partners with advanced crop nutrition programs and digital farming tools.
The initial phase of the Latin American partnership will focus on supporting potato farmers in key markets including Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina. Yara will supply these farmers, who are integral to PepsiCo's supply chain for popular products like Lay's potato chips, with best-in-class crop nutrition products, expert agronomic advice, and cutting-edge digital tools for precision farming.
A cornerstone of Yara鈥檚 offering will be its Yara Climate Choice fertilizers, a portfolio of lower-carbon options produced through innovative methods such as utilizing renewable ammonia or employing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. Additionally, the supply will include Yara鈥檚 conventional premium nitrate-based mineral fertilizers, which benefit from the company鈥檚 proprietary catalyst technology that significantly reduces their carbon footprint during manufacturing. Depending on the specific fertilizer variant, these solutions are projected to reduce the carbon footprint per tonne of potatoes by an impressive 20% to 40%.
Pedro Parenti, SVP Yara Latin America, emphasized the significance of the partnership, stating, "This agreement demonstrates the value of our solutions for decarbonizing agriculture and food production. With PepsiCo as an ally and leader on this path, we can protect the environment for both present and future generations."
Chrystel Monthean, EVP Yara Americas, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the broader implications of the collaboration. "This partnership with PepsiCo is pivotal in our pursuit of Growing a Nature-Positive Food Future,鈥 she said. 鈥淏y improving fertilizer efficiency and encouraging regenerative farming methods, we are not only cutting emissions but also boosting the sustainability of agricultural production."
Paula Santilli, CEO of PepsiCo Latin America, emphasized the importance of the partnership within the company鈥檚 broader sustainability agenda. "This collaboration agreement with Yara represents significant progress in our pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) agenda,鈥 she stated. 鈥淲e believe that Positive Agriculture 鈥 our ambition to support regenerative farming practices, sustainable sourcing, and better living conditions 鈥 will be key to meeting the growing demand for food as the global population increases, while addressing the need to protect and improve our natural resources and promote human well-being.鈥
This expanded partnership between PepsiCo and Yara in Latin America marks a significant step forward in fostering more sustainable agricultural practices within the region鈥檚 food system.