The yogurt section in the supermarket keeps getting bigger, and for good reason. Yogurt is a huge seller -- the U.S. market has doubled in t...
And Pepsi (PEP -0.56%) wants in.
Pepsi? Maker of all things junk? Yep, the soda and snacks company wants to go nutritious in a big way. And its plans include yogurt.
Pepsi is negotiating with a German dairy company so it can enter the yogurt market, The Wall Street Journal reports. Chief executive Indra Nooyi has made it a personal mission to expand the company into healthy foods, even though soda and potato chips are still the big money makers.
Pepsi already has a diverse beverages business outside of sodas. It owns the Tropicana juice, Gatorade and Aquafina water brands. It also makes oatmeal and other food products through its Quaker line.
It's all a part of Nooyi's plans to make "good for you" products in addition to the ones that just taste good. Last year, Pepsi spent $5.4 billion to acquire Russian dairy Wimm-Bill-Dann. The Journal says Pepsi is on track to become a dairy powerhouse.
Pepsi shares have faltered compared to those of Coca-Cola (KO -1.25%). Pepsi shares are down more than 5% year to date, while Coke's shares are up 9%. But it's almost unfair to compare the two companies, because Coca-Cola hasn't branched out beyond its beverage business the way Pepsi has.
Pepsi is more of a snack food company with a beverage business on the side, and some shareholders have called on Nooyi to split the food and drink divisions. Those calls will likely grow louder as Pepsi expands into yogurt and other nutritious foods.
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