Getty Images/Business Insider 



PepsiCo’s CEO is tired of people blaming her for the health 

consequences of sugary soda beverages."Your ancestors invented 

soda, and then it was exported to the rest of the world," 

Indra Nooyi said in a conversation with Andrew Ross Sorkin on 

Thursday at The New York Times' DealBook conference. "Guess what?

 I’m here, as an immigrant, making it healthier."Nooyi, who was  born in 

Madras (now Chennai), India, went on to defend soda as a "great product."

 PepsiCo, she said, has been working to cut the amount of 

sugar in products without alienating customers."If this is a 

public health issue, let’s talk about it holistically," Nooyi said, 

arguing that soda taxes do little to improve American health.


 Nooyi also mentioned she received advice from an unlikely source

 to cut sugar from Pepsi products. Steve Jobs, she said, told her that

 she needed to immediately cut sugar from Pepsi products — advice she found

 "unrealistic."In recent years, PepsiCo has made a  major effort to cut sugar

 from beverages and grow business outside of the soda industry.In October, 

PepsiCo announced that by 2025, two thirds of its drinks will have 

100 calories or fewer from added sugar, per 12 oz serving. Currently, 

these types of sugary beverages make up roughly 40% of PepsiCo's 

drinks.Nooyi has said PepsiCo is "future-proofing" its portfolio by 

increasing its emphasis on products aimed at nutritionally-savvy customers.

SEE ALSO: Four cities are voting on ballot initiatives that should terrify Coke and Pepsi