Item 1A. Risk Factors.
The following risks, some of which have occurred and any of which may occur in the future, can have a material adverse effect on our business or financial performance, which in turn can affect the price of our publicly traded securities. These are not the only risks we face. There may be other risks we are not currently aware of or that we currently deem not to be material but that may become material in the future.
Business Risks
Risks associated with the deadly conflict in Ukraine
The deadly conflict in Ukraine and related sanctions have continued to result in worldwide geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty. The conflict has resulted and could continue to result in volatile commodity markets, supply chain disruptions, increased risk of cyber incidents or other disruptions to our
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information systems, reputational risk, heightened risks to employee safety, business disruptions (including labor shortages), significant volatility of the Russian ruble, limitations on access to credit markets and other corporate banking services, including working capital facilities, reduced availability and increased costs for transportation, energy, packaging and raw materials and other input costs, environmental, health and safety risks related to securing and maintaining facilities, additional sanctions, export controls and other legislation or regulations (including restrictions on the transfer of funds to and from Russia). The ongoing conflict could result in the temporary or permanent loss of assets, including the nationalization or expropriation of assets, result in additional impairment charges or significantly affect our ability to manage our operations in these markets which could result in the deconsolidation of such businesses. We cannot predict how and the extent to which the conflict will continue to affect our employees, operations, customers, consumers or business partners or our ability to achieve certain of our sustainability goals. The conflict has adversely affected and could continue to adversely affect demand for our products and our global business.
Reduction in future demand for our products would adversely affect our business.
Demand for our products depends in part on our ability to innovate and anticipate and effectively respond to shifts in consumer trends and preferences, including the types of products our consumers want and how they browse for, purchase and consume them. Consumer preferences continuously evolve due to a variety of factors, including: changes in consumer demographics, consumption patterns, diet (whether due to changes in consumer behavior and eating habits, the use of weight-loss drugs or other factors) and channel preferences (including continued increases in the e-commerce and online-to-offline channels); pricing; product quality; concerns or perceptions regarding packaging and its environmental impact (such as single-use and other plastic packaging); and concerns or perceptions regarding the nutrition profile and health effects of, or location of origin of, ingredients or substances in our products or packaging, including due to the results of third-party studies (whether or not scientifically valid). Concerns with any of the foregoing could lead consumers to reduce or publicly boycott the purchase or consumption of our products. Pandemics, epidemics or other disease outbreaks, such as COVID-19, and geopolitical events, wars and other military conflicts have also impacted and could continue to impact consumer preferences and demand for our products. Consumer preferences are also influenced by perception of our brand image or the brand images of our products, the success of our advertising and marketing campaigns, our ability to engage with our consumers in the manner they prefer, including through the use of digital media or assets, and the perception of our use of social media and our response to political and social issues, geopolitical events, wars and other military conflicts or catastrophic events. These and other factors have reduced and could continue to reduce consumers’ willingness to purchase certain of our products, including as a result of public boycotts. Any inability on our part to anticipate or react to changes in consumer preferences and trends, or make the right strategic investments to do so, including investments in data analytics to understand consumer trends, can lead to reduced demand for our products, lead to inventory write-offs or erode our competitive and financial position, thereby adversely affecting our business. In addition, our business operations, including our supply chain, are subject to disruption by geopolitical events, wars and other military conflicts, natural disasters, pandemics, epidemics or other events beyond our control that could negatively impact product availability and decrease demand for our products if our crisis management plans do not effectively mitigate these issues.
Damage to our reputation or brand image can adversely affect our business.
Maintaining a positive reputation globally is critical to selling our products. Our reputation or brand image has in the past been, and could in the future be, adversely impacted by a variety of factors, including: any failure by us, our business partners, or other actors in the supply chain to maintain high ethical, business and environmental, social and governance practices, including with respect to human rights, child labor, diversity, equity and inclusion, workplace conditions and employee health and safety; any failure, or
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perception of a failure, to achieve our environmental, social and governance goals, or any negative perception toward such goals, including with respect to the nutrition profile of our products, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, packaging, water use and our impact on the environment; any failure to address health or other concerns about our products, products we distribute (including alcoholic beverages), or particular ingredients in our products, including concerns regarding whether certain of our products contribute to obesity and other health conditions or an increase in public health costs; our research and development efforts; any product quality or safety issues, including the recall of any of our products; any failure to comply with laws and regulations; consumer perception of our advertising campaigns, sponsorship arrangements, marketing programs, use of social media and our response to political and social issues, geopolitical events, wars and other military conflicts or catastrophic events; or any failure to effectively respond to negative or inaccurate comments about us on social media or otherwise regarding any of the foregoing. Damage to our reputation or brand image has in the past and could in the future decrease demand for our products, thereby adversely affecting our business.
Product recalls or other issues or concerns with respect to product quality and safety can adversely affect our business.
We have recalled, and could in the future recall, products due to product quality or safety issues, including actual or alleged mislabeling, misbranding, spoilage, undeclared allergens, adulteration or contamination. Joint ventures in which we have an interest have also recalled, and could in the future recall, products for the same or other reasons. Product recalls, including the voluntary recall of certain bars and cereals in our QFNA division (Quaker Recall), have in the past and could in the future adversely affect our business by resulting in losses due to their cost, the destruction of product inventory, customer fines and returns or lost sales due to any unavailability of the product for a period of time. In addition, product quality or safety issues have in the past and could in the future also reduce consumer confidence and demand for our products, cause production and delivery disruptions, including as a result of temporary or permanent closure of manufacturing plants or facilities, and result in increased costs (including payment of fines and/or judgments, cleaning and remediation costs and legal fees, and costs associated with alternative sources of production) and damage our reputation (or the reputation of joint ventures in which we have an interest), particularly as we or our joint ventures continue to expand into new categories, all of which can adversely affect our business. Any perception or allegation (whether or not valid) of failure to maintain adequate oversight over product quality or safety can result in product recalls, litigation, government investigations or inquiries or civil or criminal proceedings, all of which may result in fines, penalties, damages or criminal liability. Our business can also be adversely affected if consumers lose confidence in product quality, safety and integrity generally, even if such loss of confidence is unrelated to products in our portfolio. In addition, while we currently maintain insurance coverage that, subject to its terms and conditions, is intended to address costs associated with certain aspects of product recalls, this insurance coverage may not, depending on the specific facts and circumstances surrounding an incident, cover all losses or all types of claims that arise from an incident, or the damage to our reputation or brands that may result from an incident.
Any inability to compete effectively can adversely affect our business.
Our products compete against products of international beverage and convenient food companies that, like us, operate in multiple geographies, as well as regional, local and private label and economy brand manufacturers and other competitors, including smaller companies developing and selling micro brands directly to consumers through e-commerce platforms or through retailers focused on locally sourced products. In many countries in which our products are sold, including the United States, The Coca-Cola Company is our primary beverage competitor. Our products compete primarily on the basis of brand recognition and loyalty, taste, price, value, quality, product variety, innovation, distribution, shelf space, advertising, marketing and promotional activity, packaging, convenience, service and the ability to
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anticipate and effectively respond to consumer preferences and trends. Our business can be adversely affected if we are unable to effectively promote or develop our existing products or introduce and effectively market new products, if we are unable to effectively adopt new technologies, including artificial intelligence and data analytics to develop new commercial insights and improve operating efficiencies, if we are unable to continuously strengthen and evolve our capabilities in digital marketing, if our competitors spend more aggressively or effectively than we do or if we are otherwise unable to effectively respond to supply disruptions, pricing pressure (including as a result of commodity inflation) or otherwise compete effectively, and we may be unable to grow or maintain sales or category share or we may need to increase capital, marketing or other expenditures.
Failure to attract, develop and maintain a highly skilled and diverse workforce or effectively manage changes in our workforce can have an adverse effect on our business.
Our business requires that we attract, develop and maintain a highly skilled and diverse workforce. Our employees are highly sought after by our competitors and other companies and our continued ability to compete effectively depends on our ability to attract, retain, develop and motivate highly skilled personnel for all areas of our organization. Our ability to do so has been and may continue to be impacted by challenges in the labor market, which has experienced and may continue to experience wage inflation, labor shortages, increased employee turnover, changes in availability of our workforce and changing worker expectations regarding flexible work models. Any unplanned turnover, sustained labor shortage or unsuccessful implementation of our succession plans to backfill current leadership positions, including the Chief Executive Officer, or failure to attract, develop and maintain a highly skilled and diverse workforce, including with key capabilities such as e-commerce and digital marketing and data analytic skills, can deplete our institutional knowledge base, erode our competitive advantage or result in increased costs due to increased competition for employees, higher employee turnover or increased employee benefit costs. In addition, failure to attract, retain and develop associates from underrepresented communities can damage our business results and our reputation. Any of the foregoing can adversely affect our business.
Water scarcity can adversely affect our business.
We and our business partners use water in the manufacturing of our products. Water is also essential to the production of the raw materials needed in our manufacturing process. Lack of available water of acceptable quality, actions by governmental and non-governmental organizations, investors, customers and consumers on water scarcity and increasing pressure to conserve and replenish water in areas of scarcity and stress, including due to the effects of climate change, can lead to: supply chain disruption; adverse effects on our operations or the operations of our business partners; higher compliance costs; increased capital expenditures (including investments in the development of technologies to enhance water efficiency and reduce consumption); higher production costs, including less favorable pricing for water; the interruption or cessation of operations at, or relocation of, our facilities or the facilities of our business partners; failure to achieve our goals relating to water use; perception of our failure to act responsibly with respect to water use or to effectively respond to legal or regulatory requirements concerning water scarcity; or damage to our reputation, any of which can adversely affect our business.
Changes in the retail landscape or in sales to any key customer can adversely affect our business.
The retail landscape continues to evolve, including continued growth in e-commerce channels and hard discounters. Our business will be adversely affected if we are unable to maintain and develop successful relationships with e-commerce retailers and hard discounters, while also maintaining relationships with our key customers operating in traditional retail channels (many of whom are also focused on increasing their e-commerce sales). Our business can be adversely affected if e-commerce channels and hard discounters take significant additional market share away from traditional retailers or we fail to find ways to create increasingly better digital tools and capabilities for our retail customers to enable them to grow
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their businesses. In addition, our business can be adversely affected if we are unable to profitably expand our own direct-to-consumer e-commerce capabilities.
The retail industry is also impacted by the actions and increasing power of retailers, including as a result of increased consolidation of ownership resulting in large retailers or buying groups with increased purchasing power, particularly in North America, Europe and Latin America. In this changing retail landscape, retailers and buying groups have impacted and may continue to impact our ability to compete in these jurisdictions by demanding lower prices or increased promotional programs, removing our products or otherwise reducing shelf space allocated to our products. The increasing power of retailers and consolidation also adversely impacts our smaller customers’ ability to compete effectively, resulting in an inability on their part to pay for our products or reduced or canceled orders of our products. Further, we must maintain mutually beneficial relationships with our key customers, including Walmart, to compete effectively. Our inability to resolve a significant dispute with any of our key customers, a change in the business condition (financial or otherwise) of any of our key customers, even if unrelated to us, a significant reduction in sales to any key customer, or the loss of any of our key customers has adversely affected and can continue to adversely affect our business.
Disruption of our manufacturing operations or supply chain, including continued increased commodity, packaging, transportation, labor and other input costs, can adversely affect our business.
We have experienced and could continue to experience disruption in our manufacturing operations and supply chain. Many of the raw materials and supplies used in the production of our products are sourced from countries experiencing war and other military conflict, acts of terrorism, civil unrest, political instability or unfavorable economic conditions. Natural disasters and extreme weather conditions also pose physical risks to our facilities, which could impair our production capabilities and disrupt our supply chain. Some raw materials and supplies, including packaging materials, are available only from a limited number of suppliers or from a sole supplier or are in short supply when seasonal demand is at its peak. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain favorable arrangements and relationships with suppliers or that our contingency plans will be effective to mitigate disruptions that may arise from shortages or discontinuation of any raw materials and other supplies that we use in the manufacture, production and distribution of our products or from operational or financial instability of our key suppliers. Any sustained or significant disruption in the future to the manufacturing or sourcing of products or materials could increase our costs and interrupt product supply, which can adversely impact our business.
The raw materials and other supplies, including agricultural commodities, fuel and packaging materials, such as recycled PET, transportation, labor and other supply chain inputs that we use for the manufacturing, production and distribution of our products are subject to price volatility and fluctuations in availability caused by many factors, including changes in supply and demand, supplier capacity constraints, inflation, weather conditions (including potential effects of climate change), fire, natural disasters, disease or pests (including the impact of greening disease on the citrus industry), agricultural uncertainty, health epidemics or pandemics or other contagious outbreaks (including COVID-19), labor shortages or changes in availability of our or our business partners’ workforce (including the lack of availability of truck drivers as a result of COVID-19), strikes or work stoppages (including by railway workers or other third parties involved in the manufacture, production and distribution of our products), governmental incentives and controls (including import/export restrictions, such as new or increased tariffs, sanctions, quotas or trade barriers), port congestions or delays, transport capacity constraints, cybersecurity incidents or other disruptions, loss or impairment of key manufacturing sites, political uncertainties, geopolitical events, wars and other military conflicts, acts of terrorism, governmental instability or currency exchange rates. Many of our raw materials and supplies are purchased in the open market and the prices we pay for such items are subject to fluctuation. We continued to experience
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increased commodity, packaging and transportation costs during 2023, which may continue. When input prices increase unexpectedly or significantly, we may be unwilling or unable to increase our product prices or unable to effectively hedge against price increases to offset these increased costs without suffering reduced volume, revenue, margins and operating results.
Political, social and geopolitical conditions can adversely affect our business.
Political, social and geopolitical conditions in the markets in which our products are sold have been and could continue to be difficult to predict, resulting in adverse effects on our business. The results of elections, referendums or other political conditions (including government shutdowns), geopolitical events, wars and other military conflicts (such as the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East) in these markets have in the past and could continue to impact how existing laws, regulations and government programs or policies are implemented or result in uncertainty as to how such laws, regulations, programs or policies may change, including with respect to tariffs, sanctions, environmental and climate change regulations, taxes, benefit programs, the movement of goods, services and people between countries, relationships between countries, customer or consumer perception of a particular country or its government and other matters, and has resulted in and could continue to result in exchange rate fluctuation, volatility in global stock markets and global economic uncertainty or adversely affect demand for our products, any of which can adversely affect our business. In addition, political and social conditions in certain cities throughout the United States as well as globally have resulted in demonstrations and protests, including in connection with political elections, civil rights and liberties and geopolitical events. Our operations or the operations of our business partners, including the distribution of our products and the ingredients or other raw materials used in the production of our products, may be disrupted if such events persist for a prolonged period of time, including due to actions taken by governmental authorities in affected cities and regions, which can adversely affect our business.
Our business can be adversely affected if we are unable to grow in developing and emerging markets.
Our success depends in part on our ability to grow our business in developing and emerging markets, including Brazil, China, Mexico, Russia and South Africa. There can be no assurance that our products will be accepted or be successful in any particular developing or emerging market, due to competition, price, cultural differences, consumer preferences, regulation, method of distribution or otherwise. Our business in these markets has been and could continue in the future to be impacted by economic, political and social conditions; geopolitical conflicts, acts of war, terrorist acts, and civil unrest, including demonstrations and protests; competition; tariffs, sanctions or other regulations restricting contact with certain countries in these markets; foreign ownership restrictions; nationalization of our assets or the assets of our business partners; government-mandated closure, or threatened closure, of our operations or the operations of our business partners; restrictions on the import or export of our products or ingredients or substances used in our products; highly inflationary economies; devaluation or fluctuation or demonetization of currency; regulations on the transfer of funds to and from foreign countries, currency controls or other currency exchange restrictions, which result in significant cash balances in foreign countries, from time to time, or can significantly affect our ability to effectively manage our operations in certain of these markets and can result in the deconsolidation of such businesses; the lack of well-established or reliable legal systems; increased costs of doing business due to compliance with complex foreign and U.S. laws and regulations that apply to our international operations, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act and the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act; and adverse consequences, such as the assessment of fines or penalties, for any failure to comply with laws and regulations. Our business can be adversely affected if we are unable to expand our business in developing and emerging markets, effectively operate, or manage the risks associated with operating, in these markets, or achieve the return on capital we expect from our investments in these markets.
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Changes in economic conditions can adversely impact our business.
Many of the jurisdictions in which our products are sold have experienced and could continue to experience uncertain or unfavorable economic conditions, such as high inflation and adverse changes in interest rates, tax laws or tax rates, including as a result of geopolitical events. These uncertain or unfavorable economic conditions have resulted in and could continue to result in recessions or economic slowdowns; volatile commodity markets; labor shortages; highly inflationary economies, devaluation, fluctuation or demonetization of currency; contraction in the availability of credit; austerity or stimulus measures; the effects of any default by or deterioration in the creditworthiness of the countries in which our products are sold; or a decrease in the fair value of pension or post-retirement assets that could increase future employee benefit costs and/or funding requirements of our pension or post-retirement plans. In addition, we cannot predict how current or future economic conditions will affect our business partners, including financial institutions with whom we do business, and any negative impact on any of the foregoing may also have an adverse impact on our business.
Future cyber incidents and other disruptions to our information systems can adversely affect our business.
We depend on information systems and technology, including public websites and cloud-based services, for many activities important to our business, including communications within our company, interfacing with customers and consumers; ordering and managing inventory; managing and operating our facilities; protecting confidential information, including personal data we collect; maintaining accurate financial records and complying with regulatory, financial reporting, legal and tax requirements. Our business has in the past and could in the future be negatively affected by system shutdowns, degraded systems performance, systems disruptions or security incidents. These disruptions or incidents may be caused by cyberattacks and other cyber incidents, network or power outages, software, equipment or telecommunications failures, the unintentional or malicious actions of employees or contractors, natural disasters, fires or other catastrophic events. In addition, the increase in certain of our employees working remotely has resulted in increased demand on our information technology infrastructure, which can be subject to failure, disruption or unavailability, and increased vulnerability to cyberattacks and other cyber incidents.
Cyberattacks and other cyber incidents are occurring more frequently, the techniques used to gain access to information technology systems and data, disable or degrade service or sabotage systems are constantly evolving and becoming more sophisticated in nature and are being carried out by groups and individuals with a wide range of expertise and motives. In addition, the rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies may increase our cybersecurity risks, including generative artificial intelligence augmenting threat actors’ technological sophistication to enhance existing or create new malware. Cyberattacks and cyber incidents may be difficult to detect for periods of time and take many forms including cyber extortion, denial of service, social engineering, introduction of viruses or malware (such as ransomware), exploiting vulnerabilities in hardware, software or other infrastructure, hacking, website defacement or theft of passwords and other credentials, unauthorized use of computing resources for digital currency mining and business email compromise. As with other global companies, we are regularly subject to cyberattacks and other cyber incidents, including the types of attacks and incidents described above. Continued geopolitical instability has heightened the risk of cyberattacks. If we do not allocate and effectively manage the resources necessary to continue building and maintaining our information technology infrastructure, or if we fail to timely identify or appropriately respond to cyberattacks or other cyber incidents, our business has been and can continue to be adversely affected, which has resulted in and can continue to result in some or all of the following: transaction errors, processing inefficiencies, inability to access our data or systems, lost revenues or other costs resulting from disruptions or shutdowns of offices, plants, warehouses, distribution centers or other facilities,
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intellectual property or other data loss, litigation, claims, legal or regulatory proceedings, inquiries or investigations, fines or penalties, remediation costs, damage to our reputation or a negative impact on employee morale and the loss of current or potential customers. In addition, these risks also exist in acquired businesses, joint ventures or companies we invest in or partner with that use separate information systems or that have not yet been fully integrated into our information systems.
Similar risks exist with respect to our business partners and third-party providers, including suppliers, software and cloud-based service providers, that we rely upon for aspects of various business processes and activities, including procurement, supply chain, manufacturing, distribution, information technology support services and administrative functions (including payroll processing, health and benefit plan administration and certain finance and accounting functions) and the systems managed, hosted, provided and/or used by such third parties and their vendors. For example, malicious actors have employed and could continue to employ the information technology supply chain to introduce malware through software updates or compromised supplier accounts or hardware and exploit known or unknown hardware or software vulnerabilities in our systems or the systems of our vendors and third-party service providers. The need to coordinate with various third-party service providers, including with respect to timely notification and access to personnel and information concerning an incident, may complicate our efforts to address issues that arise. As a result, we are subject to the risk that the activities associated with our third-party service providers can adversely affect our business even if the attack or breach does not directly impact our systems or information.
Although the cyber incidents and other systems disruptions that we have experienced to date have not had a material effect on our business, such incidents or disruptions could have a material adverse effect on us in the future. While we believe we devote significant resources to network security, disaster recovery, employee training and other measures to secure our information technology systems and prevent unauthorized access to or loss of data, there are no guarantees that they will be adequate to safeguard against all cyber incidents, systems disruptions, system compromises or misuses of data. In addition, while we currently maintain insurance coverage that, subject to its terms and conditions, is intended to address costs associated with certain aspects of cyber incidents and information systems failures, this insurance coverage may not, depending on the specific facts and circumstances surrounding an incident, cover all losses or all types of claims that arise from an incident, or the damage to our reputation or brands that may result from an incident.
Failure to successfully complete or manage strategic transactions can adversely affect our business.
We regularly review our portfolio of businesses and evaluate potential acquisitions, joint ventures, distribution agreements, divestitures, refranchisings and other strategic transactions. The success of these transactions is dependent upon, among other things, our ability to realize the full extent of the expected returns, benefits, cost savings or synergies as a result of a transaction, within the anticipated time frame, or at all; and receipt of necessary consents, clearances and approvals. Risks associated with strategic transactions include integrating manufacturing, distribution, sales, accounting, financial reporting and administrative support activities and information technology systems with our company or difficulties separating such personnel, activities and systems in connection with divestitures; operating through new business models or in new categories or territories; motivating, recruiting and retaining executives and key employees; conforming controls (including internal control over financial reporting, disclosure controls and procedures and data protection and cybersecurity) and policies (including with respect to environmental compliance, health and safety compliance and compliance with anti-bribery laws); retaining existing customers and consumers and attracting new customers and consumers; managing tax costs or inefficiencies; maintaining good relations with divested or refranchised businesses in our supply or sales chain; inability to offset loss of revenue associated with divested brands or businesses; recognition of impairment charges in connection with potential divestitures; managing the impact of business
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decisions or other actions or omissions of our joint venture partners that may have different interests than we do; and other unanticipated problems or liabilities, such as contingent liabilities and litigation. Strategic transactions that are not successfully completed or managed effectively, or our failure to effectively manage the risks associated with such transactions, have in the past and could continue to result in adverse effects on our business.
Our reliance on third-party service providers and enterprise-wide systems can have an adverse effect on our business.
We rely on third-party service providers, including software and cloud data service providers, for certain areas of our business, including procurement, supply chain, manufacturing, distribution, information technology support services and administrative functions (such as payroll processing, health and benefit plan administration and certain finance and accounting functions). Failure by these third parties to meet their contractual, regulatory and other obligations to us, or our failure to adequately monitor their performance, has in the past and could continue to result in our inability to achieve the expected cost savings or efficiencies and result in additional costs to correct errors made by such service providers. Depending on the function involved, such errors can also lead to business disruption, systems performance degradation, processing inefficiencies or other systems disruptions, the loss of or damage to intellectual property or sensitive data through security breaches or otherwise, incorrect or adverse effects on financial reporting, litigation, claims, legal or regulatory proceedings, inquiries or investigations, fines or penalties, remediation costs, damage to our reputation or have a negative impact on employee morale, all of which can adversely affect our business.
In addition, we continue on our multi-year phased business transformation initiative to migrate certain of our systems, including our financial processing systems, to enterprise-wide systems solutions and have deployed these systems in certain countries and divisions. We have experienced and could continue to experience systems outages and operating inefficiencies following these planned implementations. In addition, if we do not allocate and effectively manage the resources necessary to build and sustain the proper information technology infrastructure, or if we fail to achieve the expected benefits from this initiative, our business could be adversely affected.
Climate change or measures to address climate change and other sustainability matters can negatively affect our business or damage our reputation.
Climate change may increase the frequency or severity of natural disasters and other extreme weather conditions, including rising temperatures and drought. Natural disasters and extreme weather conditions could pose physical risks to our facilities, impair our production capabilities, disrupt our supply chain or impact demand for our products. In addition, climate change or other weather-related disruptions to our supply chain may also have a negative effect on agricultural production resulting in decreased availability or less favorable pricing for certain commodities that are necessary for our products, such as potatoes, sugar cane, corn, wheat, rice, oats, oranges and other commodities. Also, there is an increased focus in many jurisdictions in which our products are made, manufactured, distributed or sold regarding environmental policies relating to climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, regulating greenhouse gas emissions, energy policies and sustainability, including single-use plastics. This increased focus may result in new or increased legal and regulatory requirements, such as potential carbon pricing programs or revised product labeling requirements or other regulatory measures, which could, along with initiatives to meet our sustainability goals, continue to result in significant increased costs and require additional investments in facilities and equipment. As a result, the effects of climate change can negatively affect our business and operations. In addition, working toward achieving our sustainability goals will require significant effort and resources from us and other stakeholders, such as our suppliers and other third parties, governmental entities, and the development of technology that may not currently exist or exist at scale. Lack of progress or failure to properly report on our goals with respect to reducing our impact on
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the environment or perception of a failure to act responsibly with respect to the environment or to effectively respond to regulatory requirements concerning climate change and other sustainability matters, including the use of single-use plastics, can lead to adverse publicity, which could result in reduced demand for our products, damage to our reputation or increase the risk of litigation, regulatory proceedings, inquiries or investigations. Any of the foregoing can adversely affect our business.
Strikes or work stoppages can cause our business to suffer.
Many of our employees and employees of third parties that are involved in the manufacturing, production or distribution of our products are covered by collective bargaining agreements, and other employees may seek to be covered by collective bargaining agreements. Strikes or work stoppages or other business interruptions have occurred and may occur in the future if we or the third parties that are involved in the manufacturing, production and distribution of our products are unable to renew, or enter into new, collective bargaining agreements on satisfactory terms and can impair manufacturing and distribution of our products, interrupt product supply, lead to a loss of sales, increase our costs or otherwise affect our ability to fully implement future operational changes to enhance our efficiency or to adapt to changing business needs or strategy, all of which can adversely affect our business.
Financial Risks
Failure to realize benefits from our productivity initiatives can adversely affect our financial performance.
Our future growth depends, in part, on our ability to continue to reduce costs and improve efficiencies, including our multi-year phased implementation of shared business service organizational models. We continue to identify and implement productivity initiatives that we believe will position our business for long-term sustainable growth by allowing us to achieve a lower cost structure, improve decision-making and operate more efficiently. Some of these measures result in unintended consequences, such as business disruptions, distraction of management and employees, reduced morale and productivity, unexpected employee attrition, an inability to attract or retain key personnel and negative publicity. If we are unable to successfully implement our productivity initiatives as planned or do not achieve expected savings as a result of these initiatives, we may not realize all or any of the anticipated benefits, resulting in adverse effects on our financial performance.
A deterioration in our estimates and underlying assumptions regarding the future performance of our business or investments can result in impairment charges that adversely affect our results of operations.
We conduct impairment tests on our goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets annually or more frequently if circumstances indicate that impairment may have occurred. In addition, amortizable intangible assets, equity method investments, equity investments without readily determinable fair values, investments in available-for-sale debt securities, property, plant and equipment and other long-lived assets are evaluated for impairment upon a significant change in the operating or macroeconomic environment. Our equity method investees also perform similar impairment tests and we record our proportionate share of impairment charges recorded by them, adjusted for the impact of items such as basis differences and deferred taxes, as appropriate. A deterioration in our underlying assumptions, or those of our equity method investees, regarding the impact of competitive operating conditions, geopolitical conditions (including the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East), macroeconomic conditions, including the interest rate environment, or other factors used to estimate the future performance of any of our reporting units or assets, including any deterioration in the weighted-average cost of capital based on market data available at the time, as well as our ability to hold the investment until recovery of fair value to amortized cost for available-for-sale debt securities, have resulted and could in the future result in an impairment charge, thereby adversely affecting our results of operations.
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Fluctuations in exchange rates impact our financial performance.
Because our consolidated financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars, the financial statements of our subsidiaries outside the United States, where the functional currency is other than the U.S. dollar, are translated into U.S. dollars. Given our global operations, we also pay for the ingredients, raw materials and commodities used in our business in numerous currencies. Fluctuations in exchange rates, including as a result of inflation, central bank monetary policies, currency controls or other currency exchange restrictions or geopolitical instability have had, and could continue to have, an adverse impact on our financial performance.
Our borrowing costs and access to capital and credit markets can be adversely affected by a downgrade or potential downgrade of our credit ratings.
Rating agencies routinely evaluate us and their ratings are based on a number of factors, including our cash generating capability, levels of indebtedness, policies with respect to shareholder distributions and our financial strength generally, as well as factors beyond our control, such as the state of the economy and our industry. We expect to maintain Tier 1 commercial paper access, which we believe will facilitate appropriate financial flexibility and ready access to global credit markets at favorable interest rates. Any downgrade or announcement that we are under review for a potential downgrade of our credit ratings, especially any downgrade to below investment grade, can increase our future borrowing costs, impair our ability to access capital and credit markets on terms commercially acceptable to us or at all, result in a reduction in our liquidity, or impair our ability to access the commercial paper market with the same flexibility that we have experienced historically (and therefore require us to rely more heavily on more expensive types of debt financing), all of which can adversely affect our financial performance.
Legal, Tax and Regulatory Risks
Taxes aimed at our products can adversely affect our business or financial performance.
Certain jurisdictions in which our products are sold have either imposed, or are considering imposing, new or increased taxes on the manufacture, distribution or sale of certain of our products, particularly our beverages, as a result of ingredients contained in our products. These taxes vary in scope and form: some apply to all beverages, including non-caloric beverages, while others apply only to beverages with a caloric sweetener (e.g., sugar). Similarly, some measures apply a single tax rate per ounce/liter on beverages containing over a certain amount of added sugar (or other sweetener), some apply a graduated tax rate depending upon the amount of added sugar (or other sweetener) in the beverage and others apply a flat tax rate on beverages containing any amount of added sugar (or other sweetener). For example, Romania enacted a graduated tax on all non-alcoholic beverages, effective January 1, 2024, at a rate of 0.4 Romanian Leu (0.09 U.S. dollars) per liter for drinks with a sugar content between 5-8g per 100ml and 0.6 Romanian Leu (0.13 U.S. dollars) per liter for drinks with a sugar content between above 8g per 100ml.These tax measures, whatever their scope or form, have in the past and could continue to increase the cost of certain of our products, reduce overall consumption of our products or lead to negative publicity, resulting in an adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
Limitations on the marketing or sale of our products can adversely affect our business and financial performance.
Certain jurisdictions in which our products are sold have either imposed, or are considering imposing, limitations on the marketing or sale of our products as a result of ingredients or substances in our products or product packaging. These limitations require that we highlight perceived concerns about a product or product packaging, warn consumers to avoid consumption of certain ingredients or substances present in our products, restrict the age of consumers to whom products are marketed or sold, limit the location in which our products may be available or discontinue the use of certain ingredients or packaging. For
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example, Colombia enacted warning labeling requirements effective in 2023 to indicate whether a particular pre-packaged food product contains any amount of sweeteners or is considered to be high in added sugar, sodium, saturated fat or trans-fat. Certain jurisdictions have imposed or are considering imposing color-coded labeling requirements where colors such as red, yellow and green are used to indicate various levels of a particular ingredient, such as sugar, sodium or saturated fat, in products. The imposition or proposed imposition of additional limitations on the marketing or sale of our products has in the past reduced and could continue to reduce overall consumption of our products, lead to negative publicity or leave consumers with the perception that our products do not meet their health and wellness needs, resulting in an adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
Laws and regulations related to the use or disposal of plastics or other packaging materials can adversely affect our business and financial performance.
We rely on diverse packaging solutions to safely deliver products to our customers and consumers. Certain of our products are sold in packaging designed to be recyclable, commercially compostable, biodegradable or reusable. However, not all packaging is recovered, whether due to lack of infrastructure, improper disposal or otherwise, and certain of our packaging is not currently recyclable, commercially compostable, biodegradable or reusable. Packaging waste not properly disposed of that displays one or more of our brands has in the past resulted in and could continue to result in negative publicity, litigation, government investigations or other action or reduced consumer demand for our products, adversely affecting our financial performance. Many jurisdictions in which our products are sold have imposed or are considering imposing laws, regulations or policies intended to encourage the use of sustainable packaging, waste reduction, increased recycling rates or decreased use of single-use plastics or to restrict the sale of products utilizing certain packaging. These laws, regulations and policies vary in form and scope and include extended producer responsibility policies, plastic or packaging taxes, minimum recycled content requirements, restrictions on certain products and materials, requirements for bottle caps to be tethered to bottles, restrictions or bans on the use of certain types of packaging, including single-use plastics and packaging containing PFAS, restrictions on labeling related to recyclability, requirements to charge deposit fees and requirements to scale reusable or refillable packaging. For example, the European Union, Peru, South Africa and certain states in the United States, among other jurisdictions, have imposed a minimum recycled content requirement for beverage bottle packaging and similar legislation is under consideration in other jurisdictions. These laws and regulations have in the past increased and could continue to increase the cost of our products, impact demand for our products, result in negative publicity and require us and our business partners, including our independent bottlers, to increase capital expenditures to invest in reducing the amount of virgin plastic or other materials used in our packaging, to develop alternative packaging or to revise product labeling, all of which can adversely affect our business and financial performance.
Failure to comply with personal data protection and privacy laws can adversely affect our business.
We are subject to a variety of continuously evolving and developing laws and regulations in numerous jurisdictions regarding personal data protection and privacy laws. These laws and regulations may be interpreted and applied differently from country to country or, within the United States, from state to state, and can create inconsistent or conflicting requirements. Our efforts to comply with these laws and regulations, including the California Consumer Privacy Act, which was significantly modified by the California Privacy Rights Act, as well as comprehensive privacy legislation in Virginia, Colorado, Utah and Connecticut that became effective in 2023, as well as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the U.K. General Data Protection Regulation (which implements the GDPR into U.K. law) and China’s Personal Information Protection Act, impose significant costs and challenges that are likely to continue to increase over time, particularly as additional jurisdictions continue to adopt similar regulations. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations or to otherwise protect personal data from
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unauthorized access, use or other processing, have in the past and could in the future result in litigation, claims, legal or regulatory proceedings, inquiries or investigations, damage to our reputation, fines or penalties, all of which can adversely affect our business.
Increases in income tax rates, changes in income tax laws or disagreements with tax authorities can adversely affect our financial performance.
Increases in income tax rates or other changes in tax laws, including changes in how existing tax laws are interpreted or enforced, can adversely affect our financial performance. For example, economic and political conditions in countries where we are subject to taxes, including the United States, have in the past and could continue to result in significant changes in tax legislation or regulation. For example, numerous countries have agreed to a statement in support of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development model (OECD) rules that propose a partial global profit reallocation and a global minimum tax rate of 15%. Certain countries, including European Union member states, have enacted or are expected to enact legislation incorporating the global minimum tax with effect as early as 2024 and widespread implementation of a global minimum tax is expected by 2025. As the legislation becomes effective in countries in which we do business, our taxes could increase and negatively impact our provision for income taxes. This increasingly complex global tax environment has in the past and could continue to increase tax uncertainty, resulting in higher compliance costs and adverse effects on our financial performance. We are also subject to regular reviews, examinations and audits by numerous taxing authorities with respect to income and non-income based taxes. Economic and political pressures to increase tax revenues in jurisdictions in which we operate, or the adoption of new or reformed tax legislation or regulation, has made and could continue to make resolving tax disputes more difficult and the final resolution of tax audits and any related litigation can differ from our historical provisions and accruals, resulting in an adverse effect on our financial performance.
If we are unable to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, or if we are found to infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, our business can be adversely affected.
We possess intellectual property rights that are important to our business, including ingredient formulas, trademarks, copyrights, patents, business processes and other trade secrets. The laws of various jurisdictions in which we operate have differing levels of protection of intellectual property. Our competitive position and the value of our products and brands can be reduced and our business adversely affected if we fail to obtain or adequately protect our intellectual property, including our ingredient formulas, or if there is a change in law that limits or removes the current legal protections afforded our intellectual property. Also, in the course of developing new products or improving the quality of existing products, we have in the past been alleged to have infringed, and could in the future infringe or be alleged to infringe, on the intellectual property rights of others. Such infringement or allegations of infringement could result in expensive litigation and damages, damage to our reputation, disruption to our operations, injunctions against development, manufacturing, use and/or sale of certain products, inventory write-offs or other limitations on our ability to introduce new products or improve the quality of existing products, resulting in an adverse effect on our business.
Failure to comply with laws and regulations applicable to our business can adversely affect our business.
The conduct of our business is subject to numerous laws and regulations relating to the production, storage, distribution, sale, display, advertising, marketing, labeling, content (including whether a product contains genetically engineered ingredients), quality, safety, transportation, supply chain, traceability, sourcing (including pesticide use), packaging, disposal, recycling and use of our products or raw materials, employment and occupational health and safety, environmental, social and governance matters and reporting (including climate change), machine learning and artificial intelligence and data privacy and
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protection. In addition, in many jurisdictions, compliance with competition and antitrust laws is of special importance to us due to our competitive position, as is compliance with anti-corruption laws. The imposition of new laws, changes in laws or regulatory requirements or changing interpretations thereof, changes in the enforcement priorities of regulators, and differing or competing regulations and standards across the markets where our products or raw materials are made, manufactured, distributed or sold, have in the past and could continue to result in higher compliance costs, capital expenditures and higher production costs, or make it necessary for us to reformulate certain of our products, resulting in adverse effects on our business. For example, increasing governmental and societal attention to environmental, social and governance matters has resulted and could continue to result in new laws or regulatory requirements, including expanded disclosure requirements that are expected to continue to expand the nature, scope and complexity of matters on which we are required to report. In addition, the entry into new markets or categories has resulted in and could continue to result in our business being subject to additional regulations resulting in higher compliance costs. If one jurisdiction imposes or proposes to impose new laws or regulations that impact the manufacture, distribution or sale of our products, other jurisdictions may follow. Failure to comply with such laws or regulations (or allegations thereof) can subject us to criminal or civil investigations or enforcement actions, including voluntary and involuntary document requests, fines, injunctions, product recalls, penalties, disgorgement of profits or activity restrictions, all of which can adversely affect our business. In addition, the results of third-party studies (whether or not scientifically valid) purporting to assess the health implications of consumption of certain ingredients or substances present in certain of our products or packaging materials have resulted in and could continue to result in our being subject to new taxes and regulations or lawsuits that can adversely affect our business.
Potential liabilities and costs from litigation, claims, legal or regulatory proceedings, inquiries or investigations can have an adverse impact on our business.
We and our subsidiaries are party to a variety of litigation, claims, legal or regulatory proceedings, inquiries and investigations, including but not limited to matters related to our advertising, marketing or commercial practices, product labels, claims and ingredients, personal injury and property damage, intellectual property rights, privacy, employment, tax and insurance matters, environmental, social and governance matters, including concerns or perceptions regarding our packaging and its environmental impact, and matters relating to our compliance with applicable laws and regulations. These matters are inherently uncertain and there is no guarantee that we will be successful in defending ourselves or that our assessment of the materiality of these matters and the likely outcome or potential losses and established reserves will be consistent with the ultimate outcome of such matters. Responding to these matters, even those that are ultimately non-meritorious, requires us to incur significant expense and devote significant resources, and may generate adverse publicity that damages our reputation or brand image. Any of the foregoing can adversely affect our business.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
We have received no written comments regarding our periodic or current reports from the staff of the SEC that were issued 180 days or more preceding the end of our 2023 fiscal year and that remain unresolved.
Item 1C. Cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity Risk Management and Strategy
We are regularly subject to cyberattacks and other cyber incidents. In response, we have implemented cybersecurity processes, technologies, and controls to aid in our efforts to assess, identify, and manage cybersecurity risks. Our enterprise risk management framework considers cybersecurity risk alongside other company risks as part of our overall risk assessment process. Our enterprise risk management team collaborates with our Information Security function, led by the Company’s Chief Strategy and
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Transformation Officer and the Company’s Chief Information Security Officer, to gather insights for identifying, assessing and managing cybersecurity threat risks, their severity, and potential mitigations.
We assess PepsiCo’s Information Security program using an industry-leading cybersecurity framework from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. To help assess and identify our cybersecurity risks, we maintain internal resources to perform penetration testing designed to simulate evolving tactics and techniques of real-world threat actors, engage with industry partners and law enforcement and intelligence communities and conduct tabletop exercises and periodic risk interviews across our business. We also engage an independent third party to perform internal and external penetration testing of PepsiCo’s environment periodically and engage other third parties to periodically conduct assessments of our cybersecurity capabilities. In addition, we continue to expand training and awareness practices to mitigate human risk, including mandatory computer-based training, internal communications, and regular phishing awareness campaigns that are designed to emulate real-world contemporary threats and provide immediate feedback (and, if necessary, additional training or remedial action) to employees.
Our processes also address cybersecurity risks associated with our use of third-party service providers including suppliers, software and cloud-based service providers. We proactively evaluate the cybersecurity risk of a third party by utilizing a repository of risk assessments, external monitoring sources, threat intelligence and predictive analytics to better inform PepsiCo during contracting and vendor selection processes. Additionally, when third party risks are identified, we require those third parties to agree by contract to implement appropriate security controls. Security issues are documented and tracked and periodic monitoring is conducted for third parties in order to mitigate risk.
In addition to the processes, technologies, and controls that we have in place to reduce the likelihood of a successful material cyberattack, the Company has established well-defined response procedures to address cyber events that do occur. The program provides for the coordination of various corporate functions and governance groups and serves as a framework for the execution of responsibilities across businesses and operational roles. Our incident response plan coordinates the activities we take to prepare for, detect, respond to and recover from cybersecurity incidents, which include processes to triage, assess severity for, escalate, contain, investigate, and remediate the incident, as well as to assess for potential disclosure, comply with potentially applicable legal obligations and mitigate brand and reputational damage. We also maintain insurance coverage that, subject to its terms and conditions, is intended to address costs associated with certain aspects of cyber incidents and information systems failures.
Based on the information we have as of the date of this Form 10-K, we do not believe any risks from cybersecurity threats, including as a result of any previous cybersecurity incidents, have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect us, including our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for further information about these risks.
Cybersecurity Governance
Cybersecurity is an important part of our risk management processes and an area of focus for our Board and management. Given that cybersecurity risks can impact various areas of responsibility of the Committees of the Board, the Board believes it is useful and effective for the full Board to maintain direct oversight over cybersecurity matters. In 2021, the Board amended our Corporate Governance Guidelines to specifically mention cybersecurity as an area of Board oversight to reflect this existing practice. The Board receives and provides feedback on regular updates from management, including from the Company’s Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer and the Company’s Chief Information Security Officer, regarding cybersecurity governance processes, the status of projects to strengthen internal cybersecurity, results from third-party assessments, and also discusses any significant cyber incidents, including recent incidents at other companies and the emerging threat landscape.
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Our cybersecurity risk management and strategy processes, which are discussed in greater detail above, are led by the Company’s Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer and the Company’s Chief Information Security Officer. Such individuals have significant prior work experience in various roles across multiple industries involving managing information security, developing cybersecurity strategy, implementing effective information and cybersecurity programs and managing compliance environments.
These members of management are informed about and monitor the prevention, mitigation, detection, and remediation of cybersecurity incidents through their management of, and participation in, the cybersecurity risk management and strategy processes described above, including the operation of our incident response plan.
Item 2. Properties.
Our principal executive office located in Purchase, New York and our facilities located in Plano, Texas, all of which we own, are our most significant corporate properties.
In connection with making, marketing, distributing and selling our products, each division utilizes manufacturing, processing, bottling and production plants, warehouses, distribution centers, storage facilities, offices, including division headquarters, research and development facilities and other facilities, all of which are either owned or leased.
Significant properties by division are as follows:
Property Type Location Owned/ Leased
FLNA Research and development facility Plano, Texas Owned
QFNA Convenient food plant Cedar Rapids, Iowa Owned
PBNA Research and development facility Valhalla, New York Owned
PBNA Concentrate plant Arlington, Texas Owned
LatAm Convenient food plant Celaya, Mexico Owned
LatAm Two convenient food plants Vallejo, Mexico Owned
Europe Convenient food plant Leicester, United Kingdom Owned (a)
Europe Convenient food plant Kashira, Russia Owned
Europe Manufacturing plant Lehavim, Israel Owned
Europe Dairy plant Moscow, Russia Owned
AMESA Convenient food plant Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Owned (a)
APAC Convenient food plant Shanghai, China Owned (a)
PBNA, LatAm Concentrate plant Colonia, Uruguay Owned (a)
PBNA, Europe, AMESA Two concentrate plants Cork, Ireland Owned
PBNA, AMESA, APAC Concentrate plant Singapore Owned (a)
All divisions Shared service center Hyderabad, India Leased
(a)The land on which these properties are located is leased.
Most of our plants are owned or leased on a long-term basis. In addition to company-owned or leased properties described above, we also utilize a highly distributed network of plants, warehouses and distribution centers that are owned or leased by our contract manufacturers, co-packers, strategic alliances or joint ventures in which we have an equity interest. We believe that our properties generally are in good operating condition and, taken as a whole, are suitable, adequate and of sufficient capacity for our current operations.
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Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
On November 15, 2023, the People of the State of New York filed a lawsuit against PepsiCo, Inc., Frito-Lay, Inc. and Frito-Lay North America, Inc. (the NYS Matter) asserting claims for public nuisance, deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of business, and failure to warn that our packaging was a potential source of plastic pollution, allegedly resulting in plastic pollution in the Buffalo River. This matter is pending in the Commercial Division of the New York State Supreme Court – Erie County. The lawsuit does not specify the amount of damages sought and we believe we have strong defenses to each of these claims. In addition, we and our subsidiaries are party to a variety of litigation, claims, legal or regulatory proceedings, inquiries and investigations. While the results of the NYS Matter and each such other litigation, claim, legal or regulatory proceeding, inquiry and investigation cannot be predicted with certainty, management believes that the final outcome of the foregoing will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. See also “Item 1. Business – Regulatory Matters” and “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
Information About Our Executive Officers
The following is a list of names, ages and backgrounds of our current executive officers:
Name Age Title
Marie T. Gallagher 64 Senior Vice President and Controller, PepsiCo
Ram Krishnan 53 Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo Beverages North America
Silviu Popovici 56 Chief Executive Officer, Europe
Paula Santilli 59 Chief Executive Officer, Latin America
Steven Williams 58 Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo Foods North America
James T. Caulfield has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, PepsiCo, since November 2023. Prior to that, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, PepsiCo Foods North America from 2019 to November 2023, as PepsiCo’s Senior Vice President, Investor Relations from 2010 to 2019, as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, PepsiCo Beverages Canada from 2010 to 2011, as Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Development from 2007 to 2010, Vice President, Investor Relations from 2005 to 2007 and as Vice President, Financial Planning and Analysis from 2000 to 2005. He also held a variety of senior finance roles in Frito-Lay North America from 1995 to 2000 and was Director, Corporate Audit from 1993 to 1995. Prior to joining PepsiCo in 1993, Mr. Caulfield was a partner at the accounting firm Coopers & Lybrand.
David J. Flavell has served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, PepsiCo since 2021. Mr. Flavell previously held a number of leadership roles at PepsiCo, including as Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance & Ethics Officer for PepsiCo from 2019 to 2021, as Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel & Managing Attorney from 2018 to 2019, as Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel & General Counsel, International and Global
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Groups from 2017 to 2018, as Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel & General Counsel, Latin America and Frito-Lay North America from 2016 to 2017, as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Latin America and Frito-Lay North America from 2015 to 2016, and as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Asia, Middle East and Africa from 2011 to 2015. Before joining PepsiCo in 2011, Mr. Flavell was general counsel for Danone S.A.’s Asia Pacific and Middle East business. Prior to that, Mr. Flavell served as senior legal counsel at Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited and was a partner at Corrs Chambers Westgarth.
Marie T. Gallagher was appointed PepsiCo’s Senior Vice President and Controller in 2011. Ms. Gallagher joined PepsiCo in 2005 as Vice President and Assistant Controller. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Ms. Gallagher was Assistant Controller at Altria Corporate Services from 1992 to 2005 and, prior to that, a senior manager at Coopers & Lybrand.
Ram Krishnan was appointed Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo Beverages North America, effective February 2024. Prior to that, Mr. Krishnan served as Chief Executive Officer, International Beverages and Chief Commercial Officer of PepsiCo from 2022 to February 2024, as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, PepsiCo, from 2019 to 2021, as President and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo’s Asia Pacific, Australia and New Zealand and China Region from 2018 to 2020, and as PepsiCo’s Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer for Walmart, leading PepsiCo’s global Walmart customer team, from 2016 to 2017. Mr. Krishnan joined PepsiCo in 2006 and held marketing roles of increasing responsibility from 2006 to 2016, including as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Frito-Lay North America from 2014 to 2016, as Senior Vice President, Marketing, Frito-Lay North America from 2012 to 2013 and as Vice President of Global Brands, Frito-Lay North America from 2011 to 2012. Prior to PepsiCo, Mr. Krishnan spent six years at General Motors Company as a marketing manager for Cadillac.
Ramon L. Laguarta has served as PepsiCo’s Chief Executive Officer and a director on the Board since 2018, and assumed the role of Chairman of the Board in 2019. Mr. Laguarta previously served as President of PepsiCo from 2017 to 2018. Prior to serving as President, Mr. Laguarta held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility in Europe, including as Commercial Vice President of PepsiCo Europe from 2006 to 2008, PepsiCo Eastern Europe Region from 2008 to 2012, President, Developing & Emerging Markets, PepsiCo Europe from 2012 to 2015, Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo Europe in 2015, and Chief Executive Officer, Europe Sub-Saharan Africa from 2015 until 2017. From 2002 to 2006, he was General Manager for Iberia Snacks and Juices, and from 1999 to 2001, a General Manager for Greece Snacks. Prior to joining PepsiCo in 1996 as a marketing vice president for Spain Snacks, Mr. Laguarta worked for Chupa Chups, S.A., where he worked in several international assignments in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States. Mr. Laguarta has served as a director of Visa Inc. since 2019.
Silviu Popovici was appointed Chief Executive Officer, Europe, effective 2019. Prior to this role, he served as Chief Executive Officer, Europe Sub-Saharan Africa in 2019 and as President, Europe Sub-Saharan Africa from 2017 to early 2019. Mr. Popovici previously served as President, Russia, Ukraine and CIS (The Commonwealth of Independent States) from 2015 to 2017, and as President, PepsiCo Russia from 2013 to 2015. Mr. Popovici joined PepsiCo in 2011 following PepsiCo’s acquisition of Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods OJSC (WBD) and served as General Manager, WBD Foods Division from 2011 until 2012. Prior to the acquisition, Mr. Popovici held senior leadership roles at WBD, running its dairy business from 2008 to 2011 and its beverages business from 2006 to 2008.
Paula Santilli was appointed Chief Executive Officer, Latin America, effective 2019. Previously, she served in various leadership positions at PepsiCo Mexico Foods, as President from 2017 to 2019, as Chief Operating Officer from 2016 to 2017 and as Vice President and General Manager from 2011 to 2016. Prior to joining PepsiCo Mexico Foods, she held a variety of roles, including leadership positions in Beverages in Mexico, as well as in Foods and Snacks in the Latin America Southern Cone region
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comprising Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Ms. Santilli joined PepsiCo in 2001 following PepsiCo’s acquisition of the Quaker Oats Company. At Quaker, she held various roles of increasing responsibility from 1992 to 2001, including running the regional Quaker Foods and Gatorade businesses in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.
Becky Schmitt was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, PepsiCo, in June 2023. Prior to that, Ms. Schmitt served as executive vice president, chief people officer of Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. from 2020 to 2023. Prior to joining Cognizant, Ms. Schmitt served in various executive human resources roles at Walmart, Inc., including as senior vice president, chief people officer of Sam’s Club, a division of Walmart, from 2018 to 2020, senior vice president, chief people officer of U.S. eCommerce and corporate functions from late 2016 to 2018, and vice president, human resources – technology from early 2016 to late 2016. Prior to joining Walmart, Ms. Schmitt spent over 20 years with Accenture plc in multiple senior human resources roles globally.
Eugene Willemsen was appointed Chief Executive Officer, Africa, Middle East, South Asia and International Beverages, effective February 2024. Previously he served as Chief Executive Officer, Africa, Middle East, South Asia from 2019 to February 2024, as Chief Executive Officer, Sub-Saharan Africa in 2019 and as Executive Vice President, Global Categories and Franchise Management from 2015 to 2019. Before that, he led the global Pepsi-Lipton Joint Venture as President from 2014 to 2015. Prior to such role, Mr. Willemsen served as PepsiCo’s Senior Vice President and General Manager, South East Europe from 2011 to 2013, as Senior Vice President and General Manager, Commercial, Europe from 2008 to 2011, as Senior Vice President and General Manager, Northern Europe from 2006 to 2008, as Vice President, General Manager, Benelux from 2000 to 2005 and as Commercial Director, Benelux for the snacks business from 1998 to 2000. Mr. Willemsen joined PepsiCo in 1995 as a business development manager.
Steven Williams was appointed Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo Foods North America, effective 2019. Prior to this role, Mr. Williams served in leadership positions for Frito-Lay’s U.S. operations, as Senior Vice President, Commercial Sales and Chief Commercial Officer from 2017 to 2019 and as General Manager and Senior Vice President, East Division from 2016 to 2017. Prior to that, he served as General Manager and Senior Vice President, Customer Management for PepsiCo’s global Walmart business from 2013 to 2016, as Sales Senior Vice President, North American Nutrition from 2011 to 2013 and as Vice President, Sales, Central Division from 2009 to 2011. Mr. Williams joined PepsiCo in 2001 as a part of PepsiCo’s acquisition of the Quaker Oats Company, which he joined in 1997 and has held leadership positions of increasing responsibility in sales and customer management.
Executive officers are elected by our Board, and their terms of office continue until the next annual meeting of the Board or until their successors are elected and have qualified. There are no family relationships among our executive officers.
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PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Stock Trading Symbol – PEP.
Stock Exchange Listings – The Nasdaq Global Select Market is the principal market for our common stock, which is also listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
Shareholders – As of February 2, 2024, there were approximately 94,999 shareholders of record of our common stock.
Dividends – We have paid consecutive quarterly cash dividends since 1965. The declaration and payment of future dividends are at the discretion of the Board. Dividends are usually declared in February, May, July and November and paid at the end of March, June and September and the beginning of January. On February 7, 2024, the Board declared a quarterly dividend of $1.265 per share payable April 1, 2024, to shareholders of record on March 1, 2024. For the remainder of 2024, the record dates for these dividend payments are expected to be June 7, September 6 and December 6, 2024, subject to the approval of the Board. On February 9, 2024, we announced a 7% increase in our annualized dividend to $5.42 per share from $5.06 per share, effective with the dividend expected to be paid in June 2024. We expect to return a total of approximately $8.2 billion to shareholders in 2024, comprising dividends of approximately $7.2 billion and share repurchases of approximately $1.0 billion.
For information on securities authorized for issuance under our equity compensation plans, see “Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.”
A summary of our common stock repurchases (in millions, except average price per share) during the fourth quarter of 2023 is set forth in the table below.
Issuer Purchases of Common Stock
(a)All shares were repurchased in open market transactions pursuant to the $10 billion repurchase program authorized by our Board and publicly announced on February 10, 2022, which commenced on February 11, 2022 and will expire on February 28, 2026. Shares repurchased under this program may be repurchased in open market transactions, in privately negotiated transactions, in accelerated stock repurchase transactions or otherwise.
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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
OUR BUSINESS
Executive Overview 32
Our Operations 33
Other Relationships 33
Our Business Risks 34
OUR FINANCIAL RESULTS
Results of Operations – Consolidated Review 40
Results of Operations – Division Review 41
Non-GAAP Measures 46
Items Affecting Comparability 48
Our Liquidity and Capital Resources 51
Changes in Line Items in Our Consolidated Financial Statements 54
Return on Invested Capital 54
OUR CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
Revenue Recognition 55
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets 56
Income Tax Expense and Accruals 58
Pension and Retiree Medical Plans 58
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INCOME 61
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME 62
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS 63
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET 65
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF EQUITY 66
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 1 – Basis of Presentation and Our Divisions 67
Note 2 – Our Significant Accounting Policies 74
Note 3 – Restructuring and Impairment Charges 78
Note 4 – Intangible Assets 80
Note 5 – Income Taxes 84
Note 6 – Share-Based Compensation 88
Note 7 – Pension, Retiree Medical and Savings Plans 92
Note 8 – Debt Obligations 98
Note 9 – Financial Instruments 100
Note 10 – Net Income Attributable to PepsiCo per Common Share 105
Note 11 – Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Attributable to PepsiCo 106
Note 13 – Acquisitions and Divestitures 109
Note 14 – Supply Chain Financing Arrangements 110
Note 15 – Supplemental Financial Information 111
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM 113
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Our discussion and analysis is intended to help the reader understand our results of operations and financial condition and is provided as an addition to, and should be read in connection with, our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes. Definitions of key terms can be found in the glossary. Unless otherwise noted, tabular dollars are presented in millions, except per share amounts. All per share amounts reflect common stock per share amounts, assume dilution unless otherwise noted, and are based on unrounded amounts. Percentage changes are based on unrounded amounts.
Discussion in this Form 10-K includes results of operations and financial condition for 2023 and 2022 and year-over-year comparisons between 2023 and 2022. For discussion on results of operations and financial condition pertaining to 2021 and year-over-year comparisons between 2022 and 2021, please refer to “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.
OUR BUSINESS
Executive Overview
PepsiCo is a leading global convenient food and beverage company with a complementary portfolio of brands, including Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker and SodaStream. Through our operations, authorized bottlers, contract manufacturers and other third parties, we make, market, distribute and sell a wide variety of beverages and convenient foods, serving customers and consumers in more than 200 countries and territories.
As a global company with deep local ties, we faced many of the same challenges in 2023 as our consumers, customers, and competitors across the world, including supply chain disruptions; inflationary pressures; shifting consumer preferences and behaviors; ongoing climate issues; a highly competitive operating environment; a rapidly changing retail landscape, including growth in e-commerce; continued macroeconomic and political volatility, including the deadly conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East; and an evolving regulatory landscape.
To meet the challenges of today – and those of tomorrow – we are driven by an approach called pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is a strategic end-to-end transformation of our business, with sustainability at the center of how the company will strive to create growth and value, while inspiring positive change for the planet and people. pep+ guides how we are working to transform our business operations, and can be seen in such efforts as sourcing ingredients and making and selling products in a more sustainable way, to leveraging our more than one billion connections with consumers each day, to driving positive change across our value chain and inspiring people to make choices that are better for themselves and the planet.
pep+ drives action and progress across three key pillars:
Positive Agriculture: We are working to expand and share regenerative practices across seven million acres (approximately equal to the company’s agricultural footprint, sustainably source key crops and ingredients, and improve the livelihoods of more people in our agricultural supply chain. Understanding that scale and collaboration are essential to achieve these goals, in 2023, we expanded our partnership approach with new programs aimed at accelerating regenerative agriculture. This included a $120 million investment with Walmart to support regenerative agriculture on more than two million acres of farmland in the United States and Canada and a $216 million investment with three of the most well-respected farmer-facing organizations—Practical Farmers of Iowa, the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund and the Illinois Corn Growers Association—to help drive adoption of regenerative agriculture practices across the United States.
Technology is also a key enabler. Through the third year of our Positive Agriculture Outcomes Accelerator, we invested in a variety of practical advancements with farmers across the globe, including weather stations in Pakistan, on-farm water analysis in Iraq and sprinkler irrigation systems in Colombia.
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We have continued developing new solutions, such as fertilizer produced from green hydrogen through a partnership with Fertiberia in Spain, aiming to reduce emissions by 15% in potato crops. And through innovations such as Agroscout, which combines artificial intelligence and drone technology, we are able to identify crop diseases more efficiently, reducing pesticide use and improving crop yields.
Positive Value Chain: We are working to help build a circular and inclusive value chain through actions aiming to: achieve net-zero emissions by 2040; become net water positive by 2030; and introduce more sustainable packaging into the value chain. Our packaging goals include cutting virgin plastic per serving, using more recycled content in our plastic packaging, and scaling our reusable packaging offerings by 2030.
As we work to decarbonize our operations, alongside growing our use of electric and alternative low emission fuel vehicles, in 2023 we opened our first biomethane plant at our foods site in Manisa, Turkey, converting dried corn husks and potato peelings into biogas. We are also embedding pep+ into our new facilities, including our $320 million manufacturing facility in Poland.
To support our customers on their sustainability journey, we launched pep+ Partners for Tomorrow in the United States to share training and initiatives on one platform. We are focused on reducing virgin plastic through new launches of bottles made with recycled plastic in India and the United Arab Emirates, while also expanding paper options, such as our Quaker pots and Walkers multipacks in the United Kingdom. In December 2023, Walkers Sunbites announced the introduction of new packaging made with 50% recycled plastic. Through 2023, we continued to scale new business models that require little or no single-use packaging, including the iconic SodaStream, already sold in more than 40 countries. We also offer returnable bottles in Mexico and Spain and are engaged in reusable cup pilots, including in the United States.
We are also making progress on our diversity, equity and inclusion journey around the world. And we continue to empower each of our approximately 318,000 employees to make a positive impact in their communities through our global workforce volunteering program, One Smile at a Time.
Positive Choices: We continue working to evolve our portfolio of convenient food and beverage products so they continue to be positive for the planet and people, including by incorporating more diverse ingredients in both new and existing products, prioritizing legumes, plant-based proteins, whole grains and fruits and vegetables; expanding our position in the nuts and seeds category; accelerating our reduction of added sugars and sodium through the use of science-based targets across our portfolio; and cooking our food offerings with healthier oils. In 2023, we announced two new ambitious nutrition goals, which aim to further reduce sodium and purposefully deliver 145 billion portions of diverse ingredients annually by 2030.
We believe these priorities will position our Company for long-term sustainable growth.
See also “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for further information about risks and uncertainties that the Company faces.
Our Operations
See “Item 1. Business” for information on our divisions and a description of our distribution network, ingredients and other supplies, brands and intellectual property rights, seasonality, customers, competition, research and development, regulatory matters and human capital. In addition, see Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements for financial information about our divisions and geographic areas.
Other Relationships
Certain members of our Board also serve on the boards of certain vendors and customers. These Board members do not participate in our vendor selection and negotiations nor in our customer negotiations. Our
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transactions with these vendors and customers are in the normal course of business and are consistent with terms negotiated with other vendors and customers. In addition, certain of our employees serve on the boards of Pepsi Bottling Ventures LLC and other affiliated companies of PepsiCo and do not receive incremental compensation for such services.
Our Business Risks
Risks Associated with Commodities and Our Supply Chain
During 2023, we continued to experience significantly higher operating costs, including on transportation, labor and commodity (including energy) costs, which may continue in 2024. Many of the commodities used in the production and transportation of our products are purchased in the open market. The prices we pay for such items are subject to fluctuation, and we manage this risk through the use of fixed-price contracts and purchase orders, pricing agreements and derivative instruments, including swaps and futures. A number of external factors, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the inflationary cost environment, adverse weather conditions, supply chain disruptions (including raw material shortages) and labor shortages, have impacted and may continue to impact transportation, labor and commodity availability and costs. When prices increase, we may or may not pass on such increases to our customers without suffering reduced volume, revenue, margins and operating results.
See Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements for further information on how we manage our exposure to commodity prices.
Risks Associated with Climate Change
Certain jurisdictions in which our products are made, manufactured, distributed or sold have either imposed, or are considering imposing, new or increased legal and regulatory requirements to reduce or mitigate the potential effects of climate change, including regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and potential carbon pricing programs. These new or increased legal or regulatory requirements, along with initiatives to meet our sustainability goals, could result in significant increased costs and additional investments in facilities and equipment. However, we are unable to predict the scope, nature and timing of any new or increased environmental laws and regulations and therefore cannot predict the ultimate impact of such laws and regulations on our business or financial results. We continue to monitor existing and proposed laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which our products are made, manufactured, distributed and sold and to consider actions we may take to potentially mitigate the unfavorable impact, if any, of such laws or regulations.
Risks Associated with International Operations
We are subject to risks in the normal course of business that are inherent to international operations. During the periods presented in this report, certain jurisdictions in which our products are made, manufactured, distributed or sold, including in certain developing and emerging markets, operated in a challenging environment, experiencing unstable economic, political and social conditions, civil unrest, geopolitical conflicts, acts of war, terrorist acts, natural disasters, debt and credit issues and currency controls or fluctuations. We continue to monitor the economic, operating and political environment in these markets closely, including risks of additional impairments or write-offs, and to identify actions to potentially mitigate any unfavorable impacts on our future results.
See Notes 1 and 4 to our consolidated financial statements for a discussion of impairment charges recognized in the years ended December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022.
Risks Associated with the Deadly Conflict in Ukraine
In addition to the risks associated with international operations discussed above, we continue to face risks associated with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The conflict and related sanctions imposed on Russia by
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the United States and others has continued to result in worldwide geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty and has impacted our operations in Ukraine and Russia. We have suspended sales to our customers of Pepsi-Cola and certain of our other global beverage brands, our discretionary capital investments and advertising and promotional activities in Russia, which has negatively impacted and could continue to negatively impact our business. We continue to offer our other products in Russia. Our operations in Russia accounted for 4% and 5% of our consolidated net revenue for the years ended December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. Russia accounted for 3% and 4% of our consolidated assets and 35% and 32% of our accumulated currency translation adjustment loss as of December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. Our operations in Ukraine accounted for 0.3% and 0.2% of our consolidated net revenue for the years ended December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. Ukraine accounted for 0.1% of our consolidated assets as of December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022.
The conflict has resulted and could continue to result in volatile commodity markets, supply chain disruptions, increased risk of cyber incidents or other disruptions to our information systems, reputational risks, heightened risks to employee safety, business disruptions (including labor shortages), significant volatility of the Russian ruble, limitations on access to credit markets and other corporate banking services, including working capital facilities, reduced availability and increased costs for transportation, energy, packaging, raw materials and other input costs, environmental, health and safety risks related to securing and maintaining facilities, additional sanctions, export controls and other legislation or regulations (including restrictions on the transfer of funds to and from Russia). The ongoing conflict could result in the temporary or permanent loss of assets, including the nationalization or expropriation of assets, result in additional impairment charges or significantly affect our ability to manage our operations in these markets which could result in the deconsolidation of such businesses. We cannot predict how and the extent to which the conflict will continue to affect our employees, customers, operations or business partners or impact our ability to achieve certain of our sustainability goals. The conflict has adversely affected and could continue to adversely affect demand for our products and our global business. See Notes 1 and 4 to our consolidated financial statements for a discussion of the Russia-Ukraine conflict charges, including impairment charges, recognized in the year ended December 31, 2022.
The extent of the impact of these tragic events on our business remains uncertain and will continue to depend on numerous evolving factors that we are not able to accurately predict, including the duration and scope of the conflict, regional instability and ongoing and additional financial and economic sanctions, export controls and other legislation imposed by governments. We will continue to monitor and assess the situation as circumstances evolve and to identify actions to potentially mitigate any unfavorable impacts on our future results.
Imposition of Taxes and Regulations on our Products
Certain jurisdictions in which our products are made, manufactured, distributed or sold have either imposed, or are considering imposing, new or increased taxes or regulations on the manufacture, distribution or sale of our products or their packaging, ingredients or substances contained in, or attributes of, our products or their packaging, commodities used in the production of our products or their packaging or the recyclability or recoverability of our packaging. These taxes and regulations vary in scope and form. For example, some taxes apply to all beverages, including non-caloric beverages, while others apply only to beverages with a caloric sweetener (e.g., sugar). Further, some regulations apply to all products using certain types of packaging (e.g., plastic), while others are designed to increase the sustainability of packaging, encourage waste reduction and increased recycling rates or facilitate the waste management process or restrict the sale of products in certain packaging.
We sell a wide variety of beverages and convenient foods in more than 200 countries and territories and the profile of the products we sell, the amount of revenue attributable to such products and the type of
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packaging used vary by jurisdiction. Because of this, we cannot predict the scope or form potential taxes, regulations or other limitations on our products or their packaging may take, and therefore cannot predict the impact of such taxes, regulations or limitations on our financial results. In addition, taxes, regulations and limitations may impact us and our competitors differently. We continue to monitor existing and proposed taxes and regulations in the jurisdictions in which our products are made, manufactured, distributed and sold and to consider actions we may take to potentially mitigate the unfavorable impact, if any, of such taxes, regulations or limitations, including advocating alternative measures with respect to the imposition, form and scope of any such taxes, regulations or limitations.
OECD Global Minimum Tax
Numerous countries have agreed to a statement in support of the OECD model rules that propose a global minimum tax rate of 15%. Certain countries, including European Union member states, have enacted or are expected to enact legislation incorporating the agreed to global minimum tax with effect as early as 2024, and widespread implementation of a global minimum tax is expected as soon as 2025. As the legislation becomes effective in countries in which we do business, our taxes could increase and negatively impact our provision for income taxes. We will continue to monitor pending legislation and implementation by individual countries and evaluate the potential impact on our business in future periods.
Retail Landscape
Our industry continues to be affected by disruption of the retail landscape, including the continued growth in sales through e-commerce websites and mobile commerce applications, including through subscription services, the integration of physical and digital operations among retailers and the international expansion of hard discounters. We have seen and expect to continue to see a further shift to e-commerce, online-to-offline and other online purchasing by consumers. We continue to monitor changes in the retail landscape and seek to identify actions we may take to build our global e-commerce and digital capabilities, such as expanding our direct-to-consumer business, and distribute our products effectively through all existing and emerging channels of trade and potentially mitigate any unfavorable impacts on our future results.
The retail industry also continues to be impacted by the actions and increasing power of retailers, including as a result consolidation of ownership resulting in large retailers or buying groups with increased purchasing power, particularly in North America, Europe and Latin America. We have seen and expect to continue to see retailers and buying groups impact our ability to compete in these jurisdictions. We continue to monitor our relationships with retailers and buying groups and seek to identify actions we may take to maintain mutually beneficial relationships and resolve any significant disputes and potentially mitigate any unfavorable impacts on our future results.
See also “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” “Executive Overview” above and “Market Risks” below for more information about these risks and the actions we have taken to address key challenges.
Risk Management Framework
The achievement of our strategic and operating objectives involves risks, many of which evolve over time. To identify, assess, prioritize, address, manage, monitor and communicate these risks across the Company’s operations and foster a corporate culture of integrity and risk awareness, we leverage an integrated risk management framework. This framework includes the following:
•PepsiCo’s Board has oversight responsibility for PepsiCo’s integrated risk management framework. One of the Board’s primary responsibilities is overseeing and interacting with senior management with respect to key aspects of the Company’s business, including risk assessment and risk mitigation of the Company’s top risks. Throughout the year, the Board and relevant Committees of the Board receive updates from management with respect to various enterprise risk
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management issues and dedicate a portion of their meetings to reviewing and discussing specific risk topics in greater detail, including risks related to cybersecurity, food safety, sustainability, human capital management (including diversity, equity and inclusion) and supply chain and commodity inflation. The Board receives and provides feedback on regular updates from management regarding the Company’s top risks, including updates from members of management responsible for overseeing impacted areas (for example, the Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer and Chief Information Security Officer), governance processes associated with managing these risks, the status of projects to strengthen the Company’s risk mitigation efforts and recent incidents impacting the industry and threat landscape. Given that cybersecurity risks can impact various areas of responsibility of the Committees of the Board, the Board believes it is useful and effective for the full Board to maintain direct oversight over cybersecurity matters. In evaluating top risks, the Board and management consider short-, medium- and long-term potential impacts on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations, including looking at the internal and external environment when evaluating risks, risk amplifiers and emerging trends, and considers the risk horizon as part of prioritizing the Company’s risk mitigation efforts. The Board receives updates through presentations, memos and other written materials, teleconferences and other appropriate means of communication, with numerous opportunities for discussion and feedback, and continuously evaluates its approach in addressing top risks as circumstances evolve. For example, as part of risk updates to the Board and relevant Committees during 2023, the Board or its relevant Committee were provided updates on the impact of disruptive events, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, supply chain disruption and commodity inflation. The Board also receives periodic updates from external experts and advisers on global macroeconomic trends and conditions that may impact the Company’s strategy and financial performance, including geopolitical conflicts, economic instability, labor market trends, changing consumer behavior, retail disruption and digitalization.
The Board has tasked designated Committees of the Board with oversight of certain categories of risk management, and the Committees report to the Board regularly on these matters.
◦The Audit Committee of the Board reviews and assesses the guidelines and policies governing PepsiCo’s risk management and oversight processes, and assists the Board’s oversight of financial, compliance and employee safety risks facing PepsiCo. The Audit Committee also assists the Board’s oversight of the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and the Chief Compliance & Ethics Officer, who reports to the General Counsel, meets regularly with the Audit Committee, including in executive session without management present;
◦The Compensation Committee of the Board reviews PepsiCo’s employee compensation policies and practices to assess whether such policies and practices could lead to unnecessary risk-taking behavior;
◦The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee assists the Board in its oversight of the Company’s governance structure and other corporate governance matters, including succession planning; and
◦The Sustainability, Diversity and Public Policy Committee of the Board assists the Board in its oversight of PepsiCo’s policies, programs and related risks that concern key sustainability (including climate change), diversity, equity and inclusion, and public policy matters.
•The PepsiCo Risk Committee (PRC) meets regularly to identify, assess, prioritize and address top strategic, financial, operating, compliance, safety, reputational and other risks. The PRC is also
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responsible for reporting progress on our risk mitigation efforts to the Board and designated Committees. The PRC is comprised of a cross-functional, geographically diverse, senior management group, including PepsiCo’s Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel, Sector Chief Executive Officers and the heads of Corporate Affairs, Human Resources, Research & Development, Information Technology, Sustainability, Strategy, Transformation, International Beverages, Commercial, Global Operations, Marketing and Financial Planning & Analysis;
•Division and key market risk committees, comprised of cross-functional senior management teams, meet regularly to identify, assess, prioritize and address division and country-specific business risks;
•PepsiCo’s Risk Management Office, which manages the overall risk management process, provides ongoing guidance, tools and analytical support to the PRC and the division and key country risk committees, identifies and assesses potential risks and facilitates ongoing communication between the parties, as well as with PepsiCo’s Board, the Audit Committee of the Board and other Committees of the Board;
•PepsiCo’s Internal Audit Department evaluates the ongoing effectiveness of our key internal controls through periodic audit and review procedures; and
•PepsiCo’s Compliance & Ethics and Law Departments lead and coordinate our compliance policies and practices.
•PepsiCo’s Disclosure Committee, comprised of the General Counsel, Controller and heads of Internal Audit, Financial Planning & Analysis and Investor Relations, evaluates information from PepsiCo’s integrated risk management framework as part of the Disclosure Committee’s monitoring of the integrity and effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures. PepsiCo’s risk oversight processes and disclosure controls and procedures are designed to appropriately escalate key risks to the Board as well as to analyze potential risks for disclosure.
Market Risks
We are exposed to market risks arising from adverse changes in:
•commodity prices, affecting the cost of our raw materials and energy;
•foreign exchange rates and currency restrictions; and
•interest rates.
In the normal course of business, we manage commodity price, foreign exchange and interest rate risks through a variety of strategies, including productivity initiatives, global purchasing programs and hedging. Ongoing productivity initiatives involve the identification and effective implementation of meaningful cost-saving opportunities or efficiencies, including the use of derivatives. Our global purchasing programs include fixed-price contracts and purchase orders and pricing agreements. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for further discussion of our market risks.
The fair value of our derivatives fluctuates based on market rates and prices. The sensitivity of our derivatives to these market fluctuations is discussed below. See Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of these derivatives and our hedging policies. The fair value of our indefinite-lived intangible assets is impacted by changes in market conditions, including interest rates and inflationary, deflationary and recessionary conditions. See “Our Critical Accounting Policies and
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Estimates” for a discussion of the exposure of our goodwill and other intangible assets and pension and retiree medical plan assets and liabilities to risks related to market fluctuations.
Inflationary, deflationary and recessionary conditions impacting these market risks also impact the demand for and pricing of our products. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for further discussion.
Commodity Prices
Our commodity derivatives had a total notional value of $1.7 billion as of December 30, 2023 and $1.8 billion as ofDecember 31, 2022. At the end of 2023, the potential change in fair value of commodity derivative instruments, assuming a 10% decrease in the underlying commodity price, would have increased our net unrealized losses in 2023 by $157 million, which would generally be offset by a reduction in the cost of the underlying commodity purchases.
Foreign Exchange
Our operations outside of the United States generated 43% of our consolidated net revenue in 2023, with Mexico, Canada, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa, collectively, comprising approximately 25% of our consolidated net revenue in 2023. As a result, we are exposed to foreign exchange risks in the international markets in which our products are made, manufactured, distributed or sold. Additionally, we are exposed to foreign exchange risk from net investments in foreign subsidiaries, foreign currency purchases, foreign currency assets and liabilities created in the normal course of business. During 2023, unfavorable foreign exchange reduced net revenue growth by 2 percentage points, primarily due to declines in the Russian ruble and Egyptian pound, partially offset by an appreciation of the Mexican peso. Currency declines against the U.S. dollar which are not offset could adversely impact our future financial results.
In addition, volatile economic, political and social conditions and civil unrest in certain markets in which our products are made, manufactured, distributed or sold, including in Argentina, Brazil, China, Mexico, the Middle East, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine, and currency controls or fluctuations in certain of these international markets, continue to, and the threat or imposition of new or increased tariffs or sanctions or other impositions in or related to these international markets may, result in challenging operating environments.
Our foreign currency derivatives had a total notional value of $3.8 billion as of December 30, 2023 and $3.0 billion as of December 31, 2022. At the end of 2023, we estimate that an unfavorable 10% change in the underlying exchange rates would have increased our net unrealized losses in 2023 by $371 million, which would be significantly offset by an inverse change in the fair value of the underlying exposure.
The total notional amount of our debt instruments designated as net investment hedges was $3.0 billion as of December 30, 2023 and $2.9 billion as of December 31, 2022.
Interest Rates
Our interest rate derivatives had a total notional value of $1.3 billion as of December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022.Assuming year-end 2023 investment levels and variable rate debt, a 1-percentage-point increase in interest rates would have decreased our net interest expense in 2023 by $57 million due to higher cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments levels, as compared with our variable rate debt.
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OUR FINANCIAL RESULTS
Results of Operations — Consolidated Review
Volume
Physical or unit volume is one of the key metrics management uses internally to make operating and strategic decisions, including the preparation of our annual operating plan and the evaluation of our business performance. We believe volume provides additional information to facilitate the comparison of our historical operating performance and underlying trends, and provides additional transparency on how we evaluate our business because it measures demand for our products at the consumer level. Unit volume growth adjusts for the impacts of acquisitions and divestitures. Acquisitions and divestitures, when used in this report, reflect mergers and acquisitions activity, as well as divestitures and other structural changes, including changes in ownership or control in consolidated subsidiaries and nonconsolidated equity investees. Further, our fiscal 2022 results include an additional week (53rd reporting week). Unit volume growth excludes the impact of the 53rd reporting week from 2022 results.
Beverage volume includes volume of concentrate sold to independent bottlers and volume of finished products bearing company-owned or licensed trademarks and allied brand products and joint venture trademarks sold by company-owned bottling operations. Beverage volume also includes volume of finished products bearing company-owned or licensed trademarks sold by our noncontrolled affiliates. Concentrate volume sold to independent bottlers is reported in concentrate shipments and equivalents (CSE), whereas finished beverage product volume is reported in bottler case sales (BCS). Both CSE and BCS convert all beverage volume to an 8-ounce-case metric. Typically, CSE and BCS are not equal in any given period due to seasonality, timing of product launches, product mix, bottler inventory practices and other factors. While our net revenue is not entirely based on BCS volume due to the independent bottlers in our supply chain, we believe that BCS is a better measure of the consumption of our beverage products. PBNA, LatAm, Europe, AMESA and APAC, either independently or in conjunction with third parties, make, market, distribute and sell ready-to-drink tea products through a joint venture with Unilever (under the Lipton brand name), and PBNA, either independently or in conjunction with third parties, makes, markets, distributes and sells ready-to-drink coffee products through a joint venture with Starbucks.
Convenient food volume includes volume sold by us and our noncontrolled affiliates of convenient food products bearing company-owned or licensed trademarks. Internationally, we measure convenient food product volume in kilograms, while in North America we measure convenient food product volume in pounds. FLNA makes, markets, distributes and sells Sabra refrigerated dips and spreads through a joint venture with Strauss Group.
Consolidated Net Revenue and Operating Profit
See “Results of Operations – Division Review” for a tabular presentation and discussion of key drivers of net revenue.
Operating profit grew 4% while operating margin declined 0.2 percentage points. Operating profit growth was primarily driven by effective net pricing, productivity savings, an 11-percentage-point favorable impact of prior-year charges associated with the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and a 5-percentage-point favorable impact of prior-year impairment on intangible assets, investment and property, plant and equipment and other charges as a result of management’s decision to reposition or discontinue the sale/
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distribution of certain brands and to sell an investment (brand portfolio impairment charges). These impacts were partially offset by certain operating cost increases, a 26-percentage-point unfavorable impact of the prior-year gain associated with the Juice Transaction, a 22-percentage-point impact of higher commodity costs, a decrease in organic volume and higher advertising and marketing expenses. Corporate unallocated expenses reflect an increase in expenses related to our ongoing business initiatives and higher contributions to The PepsiCo Foundation, Inc. to fund charitable and social programs. The 53rd reporting week in the prior year reduced operating profit growth by 1 percentage point.
The operating margin decline primarily reflects the unfavorable impact of the prior-year gain associated with the Juice Transaction partially offset by the prior-year charges associated with the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the brand portfolio impairment charges.
Other Consolidated Results
Other pension and retiree medical benefits income $ 250 $ 132 $ 118
Net interest expense and other $ 819 $ 939 $ (120)
Net income attributable to PepsiCo $ 9,074 $ 8,910 2 %
Net income attributable to PepsiCo per common share – diluted $ 6.56 $ 6.42 2 %
Other pension and retiree medical benefits income increased $118 million, primarily reflecting prior-year settlement charges of $318 million related to U.S. defined benefit plans. In addition, the increase in other pension and retiree medical benefits income reflects lower amortization of net losses on pension obligations and a higher rate of expected return on plan assets, partially offset by higher interest cost and recognition of fixed income losses on plan assets, all driven primarily by higher interest rates.
Net interest expense and other decreased $120 million, primarily due to higher interest rates on average cash balances, gains on the market value of investments used to economically hedge a portion of our deferred compensation liability and higher average cash balances, partially offset by higher interest rates on debt and higher average debt balances.
The reported tax rate increased 3.7 percentage points, primarily reflecting the prior-year adjustment to reserves for uncertain tax positions as a result of our agreement with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to settle one of the issues assessed in the 2014 to 2016 audit as well as the prior-year impact of the Juice Transaction.
Results of Operations — Division Review
See “Our Business Risks,” “Non-GAAP Measures” and “Items Affecting Comparability” for a discussion of items to consider when evaluating our results and related information regarding measures not in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
In the discussions of net revenue and operating profit below, “effective net pricing” reflects the year-over-year impact of discrete pricing actions, sales incentive activities and mix resulting from selling varying products in different package sizes and in different countries.
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Net Revenue and Organic Revenue Growth
Organic revenue growth is a non-GAAP financial measure. For further information on this measure, see “Non-GAAP Measures.”
Impact of Impact of
QFNA (c) (2) % — — 2 1 % (5) 5
APAC — % 4 — — 4 % (2) 6
(a)Amounts may not sum due to rounding.
(b)Excludes the impact of acquisitions and divestitures and the 53rd reporting week. In certain instances, the impact of organic volume on net revenue growth differs from the unit volume change disclosed in the following divisional discussions due to the impacts of product mix, nonconsolidated joint venture volume, and, for our franchise-owned beverage businesses, temporary timing differences between BCS and CSE. We report net revenue from our franchise-owned beverage businesses based on CSE. The volume sold by our nonconsolidated joint ventures has no direct impact on our net revenue.
(c)Net revenue decline was impacted by product returns related to the Quaker Recall by 2 percentage points, as well as cessation of sales of products as a result of the Quaker Recall.
Operating Profit/(Loss), Operating Profit/(Loss) Adjusted for Items Affecting Comparability and Operating Profit/(Loss) Performance Adjusted for Items Affecting Comparability on a Constant Currency Basis
Operating profit/(loss) adjusted for items affecting comparability and operating profit/(loss) performance adjusted for items affecting comparability on a constant currency basis are both non-GAAP financial measures. For further information on these measures, see “Non-GAAP Measures” and “Items Affecting Comparability.”
Operating Profit/(Loss) and Operating Profit/(Loss) Adjusted for Items Affecting Comparability
Items Affecting Comparability(a)
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Items Affecting Comparability(a)
(a)See “Items Affecting Comparability.”
Operating Profit/(Loss) Performance and Operating Profit/(Loss) Performance Adjusted for Items Affecting Comparability on a Constant Currency Basis
Impact of Items Affecting Comparability(a) Impact of
FLNA 10 % — — — — (2) — 8 % — 9 %
QFNA (19) % — (1) — — — 22 3 % — 3 %
Europe n/m — n/m n/m n/m n/m — 33 % 16 50 %
Corporate unallocated expenses 13 % 5 — (3.5) — — — 15 % — 15 %
(a)See “Items Affecting Comparability.”
(b)Amounts may not sum due to rounding.
n/m - Not meaningful due to the impact of impairment and other charges, resulting in an operating loss in 2022.
FLNA
Net revenue grew 7%, primarily driven by effective net pricing, partially offset by the impact of the 53rd reporting week in the prior year, which reduced net revenue by 2 percentage points.
Unit volume decreased 1%, primarily driven by a high-single-digit decline in dips, a mid-single-digit decline in trademark Tostitos and a low-single-digit decline in trademark Lay’s, partially offset by double-digit growth in Sunchips and mid-single-digit growth in trademark Cheetos.
Operating profit increased 10%, primarily reflecting the effective net pricing, productivity savings and a 2-percentage-point favorable impact of prior-year impairment charges associated with a baked fruit convenient food brand. These impacts were partially offset by certain operating cost increases, including strategic initiatives, and a 10-percentage-point impact of higher commodity costs, primarily cooking oil, seasoning ingredients and potatoes. The 53rd reporting week in the prior year reduced operating profit growth by 2 percentage points.
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QFNA
Net revenue declined 2%, primarily driven by a decrease in organic volume and a 2-percentage-point negative impact of the 53rd reporting week in the prior year, partially offset by effective net pricing. The organic volume decline and effective net pricing collectively included a 2-percentage-point negative impact of the product returns from the Quaker Recall and was negatively impacted by cessation of sales of products as a result of the Quaker Recall.
Unit volume declined 5% primarily reflecting a high-single-digit decline in oatmeal, a double-digit decline in bars, a high-single-digit decline in rice/pasta sides and a low-single-digit decline in ready-to-eat cereals. The unit volume decline in bars and ready-to-eat cereals was negatively impacted by the Quaker Recall.
Operating profit declined 19%, reflecting a 22-percentage-point impact of product returns and charges associated with the Quaker Recall, certain operating cost increases, the decrease in organic volume, a 9-percentage-point impact of higher commodity costs, higher advertising and marketing expenses and a 2-percentage-point unfavorable impact of the 53rd reporting week in the prior year. These impacts were partially offset by effective net pricing and productivity savings.
In 2024, unit volume, net revenue and operating profit will continue to be negatively impacted by the Quaker Recall due to lower sales and additional charges.
PBNA
Net revenue increased 5%, primarily driven by effective net pricing, partially offset by a decrease in organic volume. The 53rd reporting week in the prior year reduced net revenue growth by 1.5 percentage points.
Unit volume decreased 5%, driven by a 6% decrease in non-carbonated beverage (NCB) volume and a 4% decrease in CSD volume. The NCB volume decrease primarily reflected high-single-digit decreases in Gatorade sports drinks and our overall water portfolio.
Operating profit decreased 52%, primarily reflecting the unfavorable impact of the prior-year gain of $3.0 billion associated with the Juice Transaction and the current-year impairment charges of $321 million related to our TBG investment, partially offset by the prior-year impairment and other related charges of $160 million associated with our decision to terminate the agreement with Vital Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to distribute Bang energy drinks. Operating profit also decreased due to certain operating cost increases, the decrease in organic volume, an 18-percentage-point impact of higher commodity costs, primarily sweeteners and energy, a 5-percentage-point unfavorable impact due to a prior-year gain on an asset sale and higher advertising and marketing expenses. Additionally, operating profit performance reflects a 2-percentage-point unfavorable impact of the 53rd reporting week in the prior year. These impacts were partially offset by the effective net pricing and productivity savings.
LatAm
Net revenue increased 19%, primarily reflecting effective net pricing and a 9-percentage-point impact of favorable foreign exchange, partially offset by a net organic volume decline.
Convenient foods unit volume declined 4%, primarily reflecting a double-digit decline in Colombia. Additionally, Mexico and Brazil experienced low-single-digit declines.
Beverage unit volume grew 3%, primarily reflecting low-single-digit growth in Mexico and mid-single-digit growth in Guatemala and Colombia, partially offset by a mid-single-digit decline in Argentina. Additionally, Chile experienced slight growth and Brazil experienced low-single-digit growth.
Operating profit increased 38%, primarily reflecting the effective net pricing, productivity savings, a 13-percentage-point impact of favorable foreign exchange and a 6-percentage-point favorable impact of a
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prior-year impairment and other charges associated with the sale of certain non-strategic brands. These impacts were partially offset by certain operating cost increases, the net organic volume decline, an 11-percentage-point impact of higher commodity costs, primarily potatoes, sweeteners and other ingredients and higher advertising and marketing expenses.
Europe
Net revenue increased 4%, primarily reflecting effective net pricing, partially offset by an 8-percentage-point impact of unfavorable foreign exchange and an organic volume decline.
Convenient foods unit volume decreased slightly, primarily reflecting a high-single-digit decline in the United Kingdom, a double-digit decline in Spain, a mid-single-digit decline in France and a low-single-digit decline in the Netherlands, partially offset by double-digit growth in Russia and high-single-digit growth in Turkey.
Beverage unit volume declined 3%, primarily reflecting a double-digit decline in Germany, a high-single-digit decline in France and a low-single-digit decline in Russia, partially offset by double-digit growth in Turkey. Additionally, the United Kingdom experienced a low-single-digit decline.
Operating profit improvement primarily reflects the favorable impact of prior-year charges associated with the Russia-Ukraine conflict and impairment of intangible assets related to the repositioning or discontinuation of certain juice and dairy brands in Russia (brand portfolio impairment charges) and the favorable impact of lower impairment charges related to the SodaStream business (other impairment charges), partially offset by the unfavorable impact of the prior-year gain associated with the Juice Transaction. Operating profit improvement also reflects the effective net pricing and productivity savings. These impacts were partially offset by certain operating cost increases, a 54-percentage-point impact of higher commodity costs, primarily sweeteners, packaging and potatoes, a 16-percentage-point impact of unfavorable foreign exchange, higher advertising and marketing expenses and the organic volume decline.
AMESA
Net revenue declined 5%, primarily reflecting a 21-percentage-point impact of unfavorable foreign exchange, driven primarily by the weakening of the Egyptian pound, and a net organic volume decline, partially offset by effective net pricing.
Convenient foods unit volume declined 3.5%, primarily reflecting a high-single-digit decline in South Africa, partially offset by high-single-digit growth in the Middle East and low-single-digit growth in Pakistan. Additionally, India experienced a low-single-digit decline.
Beverage unit volume grew 2%, primarily reflecting double-digit growth in India and low-single-digit growth in the Middle East, partially offset by a double-digit decline in Pakistan and a low-single-digit decline in Nigeria.
Operating profit grew 21%, primarily reflecting a 24-percentage-point favorable impact of impairment and other charges associated with our decision to sell or discontinue certain non-strategic brands and an investment in the prior year (brand portfolio impairment charges), a 4-percentage-point favorable impact of impairment charges primarily related to certain juice brands from the Pioneer Food Group Ltd. (Pioneer Foods) acquisition in the prior year (other impairment charges), the effective net pricing and productivity savings. These impacts were partially offset by a 70-percentage-point impact of higher commodity costs, primarily packaging materials, sweeteners and grains, largely driven by transaction-related foreign exchange, certain operating cost increases and a 21-percentage-point impact of unfavorable foreign exchange, primarily due to weakening of the Egyptian pound.
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APAC
Net revenue grew slightly, primarily reflecting effective net pricing, partially offset by a 4-percentage-point impact of unfavorable foreign exchange and a net organic volume decline.
Convenient foods unit volume declined 2%, primarily reflecting a double-digit decline in Thailand and a low-single-digit decline in Australia, partially offset by low-single-digit growth in China.
Beverage unit volume grew 2.5%, primarily reflecting mid-single-digit growth in China, high-single-digit growth in Thailand and low-single-digit growth in Vietnam, partially offset by a mid-single-digit decline in the Philippines.
Operating profit grew 33%, primarily reflecting a 23-percentage-point favorable impact of lower impairment charges related to the Be & Cheery brand (other impairment charges), the effective net pricing and productivity savings. These impacts were partially offset by certain operating cost increases, higher advertising and marketing expenses, the net organic volume decline, a 5-percentage-point impact of higher commodity costs and a 4-percentage-point impact of unfavorable foreign exchange.
Non-GAAP Measures
Certain financial measures contained in this Form 10-K adjust for the impact of specified items and are not in accordance with GAAP. We use non-GAAP financial measures internally to make operating and strategic decisions, including the preparation of our annual operating plan, evaluation of our overall business performance and as a factor in determining compensation for certain employees. We believe presenting non-GAAP financial measures in this Form 10-K provides additional information to facilitate comparison of our historical operating results and trends in our underlying operating results and provides additional transparency on how we evaluate our business. We also believe presenting these measures in this Form 10-K allows investors to view our performance using the same measures that we use in evaluating our financial and business performance and trends.
We consider quantitative and qualitative factors in assessing whether to adjust for the impact of items that may be significant or that could affect an understanding of our ongoing financial and business performance or trends. Examples of items for which we may make adjustments include: amounts related to mark-to-market gains or losses (non-cash); charges related to restructuring plans; charges associated with acquisitions and divestitures; gains associated with divestitures; asset impairment charges (non-cash); product recall-related impact; pension and retiree medical-related amounts, including all settlement and curtailment gains and losses; charges or adjustments related to the enactment of new laws, rules or regulations, such as tax law changes; amounts related to the resolution of tax positions; tax benefits related to reorganizations of our operations; debt redemptions, cash tender or exchange offers; and remeasurements of net monetary assets. Prior to the fourth quarter of 2021, certain immaterial pension and retiree medical-related settlement and curtailment gains and losses were not considered items affecting comparability. Pension and retiree medical-related service cost, interest cost, expected return on plan assets, and other net periodic pension costs continue to be reflected in our core results. See below and “Items Affecting Comparability” for a description of adjustments to our GAAP financial measures in this Form 10-K.
Non-GAAP information should be considered as supplemental in nature and is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the related financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. In addition, our non-GAAP financial measures may not be the same as or comparable to similar non-GAAP measures presented by other companies.
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The following non-GAAP financial measures contained in this Form 10-K are discussed below:
Cost of sales, gross profit, selling, general and administrative expenses, gain associated with the Juice Transaction, impairment of intangible assets, other pension and retiree medical benefits income, net interest expense and other, provision for income taxes, net income attributable to noncontrolling interests and net income attributable to PepsiCo, each adjusted for items affecting comparability, operating profit and net income attributable to PepsiCo per common share – diluted, each adjusted for items affecting comparability, and the corresponding constant currency growth rates
These measures exclude the net impact of mark-to-market gains and losses on centrally managed commodity derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting, restructuring and impairment charges related to our 2019 Multi-Year Productivity Plan (2019 Productivity Plan), charges associated with our acquisitions and divestitures, the gain associated with the Juice Transaction, impairment and other charges comprised of Russia-Ukraine conflict charges, brand portfolio impairment charges and other impairment charges, product recall-related impact, the impact of settlement and curtailment gains and losses related to pension and retiree medical plans, a charge related to cash tender offers, tax benefit related to the IRS audit and tax expense related to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJ Act) (see “Items Affecting Comparability” for a detailed description of each of these items). We also evaluate performance on operating profit and net income attributable to PepsiCo per common share – diluted, each adjusted for items affecting comparability, on a constant currency basis, which measure our financial results assuming constant foreign currency exchange rates used for translation based on the rates in effect for the comparable prior-year period. In order to compute our constant currency results, we multiply or divide, as appropriate, our current-year U.S. dollar results by the current-year average foreign exchange rates and then multiply or divide, as appropriate, those amounts by the prior-year average foreign exchange rates. We believe these measures provide useful information in evaluating the results of our business because they exclude items that we believe are not indicative of our ongoing performance or that we believe impact comparability with the prior year.
Organic revenue growth
We define organic revenue growth as a measure that adjusts for the impacts of foreign exchange translation, acquisitions and divestitures, and every five or six years, the impact of the 53rd reporting week, including in our 2022 financial results. Adjusting for acquisitions and divestitures reflects mergers and acquisitions activity, as well as divestitures and other structural changes, including changes in ownership or control in consolidated subsidiaries and nonconsolidated equity investees. We believe organic revenue growth provides useful information in evaluating the results of our business because it excludes items that we believe are not indicative of ongoing performance or that we believe impact comparability with the prior year.
See “Net Revenue and Organic Revenue Growth” in “Results of Operations – Division Review” for further information.
Free cash flow
We define free cash flow as net cash from operating activities less capital spending, plus sales of property, plant and equipment. Since net capital spending is essential to our product innovation initiatives and maintaining our operational capabilities, we believe that it is a recurring and necessary use of cash. As such, we believe investors should also consider net capital spending when evaluating our cash from operating activities. Free cash flow is used by us primarily for acquisitions and financing activities, including debt repayments, dividends and share repurchases. Free cash flow is not a measure of cash available for discretionary expenditures since we have certain non-discretionary obligations such as debt service that are not deducted from the measure.
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See “Free Cash Flow” in “Our Liquidity and Capital Resources” for further information.
Return on invested capital (ROIC) and net ROIC, excluding items affecting comparability
We define ROIC as net income attributable to PepsiCo plus interest expense after-tax divided by the sum of quarterly average debt obligations and quarterly average common shareholders’ equity. Although ROIC is a common financial metric, numerous methods exist for calculating ROIC. Accordingly, the method used by management to calculate ROIC may differ from the methods other companies use to calculate their ROIC.
We believe this metric serves as a measure of how well we use our capital to generate returns. In addition, we use net ROIC, excluding items affecting comparability, to compare our performance over various reporting periods on a consistent basis because it removes from our operating results the impact of items that we believe are not indicative of our ongoing performance and reflects how management evaluates our operating results and trends. We define net ROIC, excluding items affecting comparability, as ROIC, adjusted for quarterly average cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, after-tax interest income and items affecting comparability. We believe the calculation of ROIC and net ROIC, excluding items affecting comparability, provides useful information to investors and is an additional relevant comparison of our performance to consider when evaluating our capital allocation efficiency.
See “Return on Invested Capital” in “Our Liquidity and Capital Resources” for further information.
Items Affecting Comparability
Our reported financial results in this Form 10-K are impacted by the following items in each of the following years:
Items Affecting Comparability
Mark-to-market net impact (3) 3 (33) — 36 — 9 — 27
Acquisition and divestiture-related charges — — (41) — 41 — 18 — 23
Pension and retiree medical-related impact — — — — — 14 3 — 11
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Items Affecting Comparability
Acquisition and divestiture-related charges — — (74) — — 74 6 14 — 66
Pension and retiree medical-related impact — — — — — — 307 69 — 238
Tax benefit related to the IRS audit — — — — — — — 319 — (319)
Tax expense related to the TCJ Act — — — — — — — (86) — 86
(a)Provision for income taxes is the expected tax charge/benefit on the underlying item based on the tax laws and income tax rates applicable to the underlying item in its corresponding tax jurisdiction.
Mark-to-market net impact 0.02 0.03
Restructuring and impairment charges 0.25 0.24
Acquisition and divestiture-related charges 0.02 0.05
Gain associated with the Juice Transaction — (2.08)
Impairment and other charges 0.68 2.12
Product recall-related impact 0.07 —
Pension and retiree medical-related impact 0.01 0.17
Tax benefit related to the IRS audit — (0.23)
Tax expense related to the TCJ Act — 0.06
Impact of foreign exchange translation 2
(a)Does not sum due to rounding.
Mark-to-Market Net Impact
We centrally manage commodity derivatives on behalf of our divisions. These commodity derivatives include agricultural products, energy and metals. Commodity derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment are marked to market each period with the resulting gains and losses recorded in corporate unallocated expenses as either cost of sales or selling, general and administrative expenses, depending on the underlying commodity. These gains and losses are subsequently reflected in division results when the divisions recognize the cost of the underlying commodity in operating profit. Therefore, the divisions realize the economic effects of the derivative without experiencing any resulting mark-to-market volatility, which remains in corporate unallocated expenses.
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Restructuring and Impairment Charges
2019 Multi-Year Productivity Plan
The 2019 Productivity Plan, publicly announced on February 15, 2019, will leverage new technology and business models to further simplify, harmonize and automate processes; re-engineer our go-to-market and information systems, including deploying the right automation for each market; and simplify our organization and optimize our manufacturing and supply chain footprint. To build on the successful implementation of the 2019 Productivity Plan, in 2022, we expanded and extended the plan through the end of 2028 to take advantage of additional opportunities within the initiatives described above. As a result, we expect to incur pre-tax charges of approximately $3.65 billion, including cash expenditures of approximately $2.9 billion. Plan to date through December 30, 2023, we have incurred pre-tax charges of $1.9 billion, including cash expenditures of $1.4 billion. In our 2024 financial results, we expect to incur pre-tax charges and cash expenditures of approximately $500 million each. These charges will be funded primarily through cash from operations. We expect to incur the majority of the remaining pre-tax charges and cash expenditures through 2025, with the balance to be incurred through 2028. Charges include severance and other employee costs, asset impairments and other costs.
See Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements for further information related to our 2019 Productivity Plan. We regularly evaluate productivity initiatives beyond the productivity plan and other initiatives discussed above and in Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements.
Acquisition and Divestiture-Related Charges
Acquisition and divestiture-related charges primarily include merger and integration charges and costs associated with divestitures. Merger and integration charges include liabilities to support socioeconomic programs in South Africa, gains associated with contingent consideration, employee-related costs, contract termination costs, closing costs and other integration costs. Divestiture-related charges reflect transaction expenses, including consulting, advisory and other professional fees.
See Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements for further information.
Gain Associated with the Juice Transaction
We recognized a gain associated with the Juice Transaction in our PBNA and Europe divisions.
See Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements for further information.
Impairment and Other Charges
We recognized Russia-Ukraine conflict charges, brand portfolio impairment charges and other impairment charges as described below.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict Charges
In connection with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, we recognized charges related to indefinite-lived intangible assets and property, plant and equipment impairment, allowance for expected credit losses, inventory write-downs and other costs. We also recognized adjustments to the charges recorded in 2022.
See Notes 1 and 4 to our consolidated financial statements for further information.
Brand Portfolio Impairment Charges
We recognized intangible asset, investment and property, plant and equipment impairments and other charges as a result of management’s decision to reposition or discontinue the sale/distribution of certain brands and to sell an investment. We also recognized adjustments to the charges recorded in 2022.
See Notes 1 and 4 to our consolidated financial statements for further information.
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Other Impairment Charges
We recognized impairment charges taken as a result of our quantitative assessments of certain of our indefinite-lived intangible assets and related to our investment in TBG.
See Notes 1, 4 and 9 to our consolidated financial statements for further information.
Product Recall-Related Impact
We recognized product returns, inventory write-offs and customer and consumer-related costs in our QFNA division associated with a voluntary recall of certain bars and cereals.
See Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements for further information.
Pension and Retiree Medical-Related Impact
Pension and retiree medical-related impact includes settlement charges related to lump sum distributions exceeding the total of annual service and interest costs, as well as curtailment gains.
See Notes 7 and 13 to our consolidated financial statements for further information.
Tax Benefit Related to the IRS Audit
We recognized a non-cash tax benefit resulting from our agreement with the IRS to settle one of the issues assessed in the 2014 through 2016 tax audit. The agreement covers tax years 2014 through 2019.
See Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for further information.
Tax Expense Related to the TCJ Act
Tax expense related to the TCJ Act reflects adjustments to the mandatory transition tax liability under the TCJ Act.
See Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for further information.
Charge Related to Cash Tender Offers
As a result of the cash tender offers for some of our long-term debt, we recorded a charge primarily representing the tender price paid over the carrying value of the tendered notes and loss on treasury rate locks used to mitigate the interest rate risk on the cash tender offers.
See Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements for further information.
Our Liquidity and Capital Resources
We believe that our cash generating capability and financial condition, together with our revolving credit facilities, working capital lines and other available methods of debt financing, such as commercial paper borrowings and long-term debt financing, will be adequate to meet our operating, investing and financing needs, including with respect to our net capital spending plans. Our primary sources of liquidity include cash from operations,proceeds obtained from issuances of commercial paper and long-term debt, and cash and cash equivalents. These sources of cash are available to fund cash outflows that have both a short- and long-term component, including debt repayments and related interest payments; payments for acquisitions; operating leases; purchase, marketing, and other contractual commitments, including capital expenditures and the transition tax liability under the TCJ Act. In addition, these sources of cash fund other cash outflows including anticipated dividend payments and share repurchases. We do not have guarantees or off-balance sheet financing arrangements, including variable interest entities, that we believe could have a material impact on our liquidity. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” “Our Business Risks” and Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements for further information.
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