I’m giving the opening keynote at the Maine Grain Alliance’s 2025 Kneading Conference, which culimiantes in the Maine Artisan Bread Fair on July 26. My talk is at 8:30 a.m. at the Strand Cinema in Skowhegan, Maine. I’m really looking forward to this one.
Food marketing ploy of the week: PepsiCo
My colleague, former doctoral student, and frequent correspondent, Dr. Lisa Young, sent me this choice item:
Now why would PepsiCo be interested in putting money into a conference on fermented foods?
Lisa has the answer to that one too: the company just bought a company that makes fermented beverages.
PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire KeVita, a leading North American creator of fermented probiotic and kombucha beverages. The transaction will expand PepsiCo’s health and wellness offerings in the premium chilled beverage space.
I’ll bet speakers at that conference talked a lot about the purported health benefits of drinks like these. And I’ll also be willing to bet that they did not talk about studies that show no benefit.
Just a wild guess.