Snack Chat

An Interview with 'Food for Good' Project Manager Amy Chen

If you've been reading Snack Chat this summer, then you've probably seen at least one of the articles we've posted about the PepsiCo 'Food for Good' program, a partnership between PepsiCo and Central Dallas Ministries to help improve the nutrition of lower-income families, while helping to create jobs. 

In June, Dave Philips, our chief blogger, introduced Food for Good and outlined the two key components of the program -- summer mobile meals and Food for Good farm.

Then, last month, Brooke Birdsong, Frito-Lay human resources coordinator, shared a recap of her day volunteering with the summer mobile meals team.

Today on Snack Chat, I'm happy to offer a podcast interview with Amy Chen, Food for Good project manager, moderated by Deanna McKinley, public relations coordinator and Food for Good volunteer. In the interview, Amy brings Food for Good to life in a way that only she could -- with passion, inspiration and color. 

Click here for Amy and Deanna's podcast. I hope listening to it helps inspire you to take action in your community, like Amy and Deanna have taken in theirs. (Pictured below: Amy Chen at the Food for Good farm.)

- Kristin 

 

Our Day Touring the Frito-Lay Beloit Plant with Healthy Living Bloggers & Registered Dietitians

Hello! I’m Kristin Holmes from the Frito-Lay Public Affairs team, back today on Snack Chat to tell you about a great event I helped host at our manufacturing plant in Beloit, Wis., last Friday. We invited a group of bloggers and Chicago-based Registered Dietitians (RD) to join us for a Frito-Lay plant tour – an inside peek into the work we’re doing to support healthier snacking and environmental sustainability. (At left: Tour guests and the site's financial planning manager, Dan, in front of the Lay’s potato chips line.)

Most of our plant tour guests were also attending the second-annual Healthy Living Summit in Chicago, a gathering of healthy lifestyle bloggers who come together to share knowledge, tips and tools to support a healthy body, mind and soul. Since we share a common interest in health and wellness, we thought it was fitting to invite the summit attendees to see for themselves how we make the best snacks on earth.

After a bus trip from Chicago to Beloit, Bob Hobson, Beloit’s manufacturing manager (pictured right), kicked off the day with an overview presentation about the facility. Bob shared the history and some fun facts about the site, highlighted their sustainability progress (recently awarded LEED Gold certification!) and educated guests on how we use simple, farm-grown ingredients, like potatoes and corn, to make some of your favorite snacks – Lay’s potato chips, Tostitos tortilla chips and Fritos corn chips. Bob even held up a potato that was harvested from the ground at a nearby farm around 3 a.m. that morning. The other potatoes delivered with it were made into fresh, delicious Lay’s potato chips by 10 a.m. the same day. I think everyone was a bit “wowed” by that fact! 

Next, the group split up and half of the guests went on a tour of the manufacturing and packaging floor while the other half ate lunch and learned a bit more about Frito-Lay’s commitment to healthier snacking. Then, the groups swapped, so each guest was able to see the full Frito-Lay story come to life -- how chips are made, the technologies in place to support recycling and conservation in our plants, and strides we’re making with our health and wellness initiatives. 

On the plant floor, “seeing is believing,” and what resonated most was seeing our products are made with real ingredients – potatoes and corn – and go through minimal processing to become chips. On the Lay’s line, guests saw the raw potatoes meet their destiny. They were washed, peeled, then washed and peeled again. Then, the potatoes were sliced, fried and seasoned with a bit of salt. Finally, the finished product made its way to the packaging station for weighing and bagging. (Above: Three of our guests and the site's potato chip line manager, Amy, talking about how Lay’s are made.)

When we shared our healthier snacking story, I think guests were surprised to learn Frito-Lay has a history of healthy and wellness: Launching our first “Light” chips in 1989; bringing SunChips to life in 1991; offering our Baked! line in 1997; removing trans fat from all our chips in 2003; and most recently, increasing the amount of whole grains and fiber in most of our Tostitos snacks and expanding Lightly Salted varieties to include Lay’s, Ruffles, Fritos and Rold Gold this year. (Download Frito-Lays_Commitment_to_Health & Wellness.)

From the check-in process to our final goodbyes, every member of the Beloit team really demonstrated their logistical, technical and manufacturing expertise, making our guests feel welcome and teaching them more than they probably ever thought they’d know about making chips! We’re proud to showcase the great work and great people we have at Frito-Lay and thank all of the healthy living bloggers and RDs for joining our tour! Happy (fresh, simple) snacking! (Below: Group picture from our bus ride back to Chicago.)

View the complete Beloit plant tour photo gallery on Flickr.

- Kristin

 

Frito-Lay, Kroger and Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas Celebrate '8-9-10' with a Day of Service

Hello everyone! It’s me, Deanna McKinley, public relations coordinator for Frito-Lay North America. I’m back on Snack Chat today to tell you about an exciting community service event we co-sponsored on Monday.

August 9, 2010, had a great little calendar listing this year, “8-9-10.” It also happened to be Jenny Birgé’s birthday. Jenny Birgé is a manager on Frito-Lay’s research and development team. Last year, on 8-9-09, Jenny reflected on her life and wondered what she could do to make a big impact in the community. Through her many volunteer endeavors, she knew hunger and literacy were big issues in Dallas. So, she met with leaders here at Frito-Lay and in the community, and with the help of our partners, Kroger and Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, an event known as "8-9-10” was born.

On Monday, 8-9-10, Jenny and Frito-Lay CFO Nancy Loewe kicked off the 8-9-10 canned food and book drive. More than 250 Girl Scouts descended onto the parking lot of Kroger at Mockingbird Station in Dallas, where each girl loaded eight cans and nine books onto the back of a Frito-Lay truck. Canned goods will benefit the North Texas Food Bank. Books will benefit the KIPP Truth Academy. 

On top of the can and book donations, Girl Scouts also were challenged to complete a “Perfect 10” community service project of their own to receive a badge. One girl invited 10 friends who each donated eight cans of food and nine books. Another troop donated 10 hours of service to a residential facility for senior citizens. 

And then there was a little girl who shared my name, Deanna. Twelve-year-old Deanna rallied her troop to create 10 care packages filled with games and fun activities to give to kids staying at Children’s Medical Center. Deanna came up with this “Perfect 10” idea thanks to her own experience in the hospital. While undergoing chemotherapy treatments for eight years, Deanna was often “unentertained” at the hospital, and wanted to help other kids have more fun during their stays. I was really impressed with her spirit of giving back.

The 8-9-10 event started with one idea, from one individual. One birthday, one act of selflessness from Jenny Birgé, and a company mobilized into action with partners scrambling to assist. Now, families will be fed, kids will learn to read, and Girl Scouts -- from Daisies to Ambassadors -- will impact Dallas for the better. Makes you wonder what ideas you can dream up today to make an impact on your community, doesn’t it? So, tell us, what is your “Perfect 10?”

- Deanna

The 8-9-10 drive will continue for two weeks. Seven Kroger stores across the Dallas area will accept donations from any resident until Aug. 23, 2010:

• Allen: 1320 W McDermott Road, Allen, TX  75013   

• Dallas: 5665 E Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, TX 75206

• Duncanville: 200 West Camp Wisdom Road, Duncanville, TX  75116 

• Lewisville: 1305 S State Hwy 121, Lewisville, TX 75067

• Irving: 7505 N MacArthur Blvd, Irving, TX 75063  

• Plano: 3305 Dallas Pkwy Plano, TX 75093

• Rockwall: 2935 Ridge Road, Rockwall, TX 75032

My Day Giving Back on a 'Food for Good' Route in Dallas

Hi, I’m Brooke Birdsong (that's me on the left), Senior Human Resources Coordinator at the Frito-Lay headquarters office in Plano, Texas, and a new member of the Snack Chat team.

Frito-Lay and PepsiCo (our parent company) support a variety of community efforts that align with our PepsiCo vision of Performance with Purpose, and it’s important to me to volunteer with these events when possible.  Last week, I joined our Food for Good team in Dallas to serve meals in a low-income area of town, and for my first post, I want to share more about my experience.  

Food for Good is a program in which PepsiCo partnered with Central Dallas Ministries and AmeriCorps to provide nutritious meals to underserved children. One of its programs is a mobile meal delivery system that helps feed children while they’re home from school during the summer – a time when need is especially great, since children don’t have access to the free breakfast or lunch programs they have during the school year.

A co-worker, Pamela Zygouras, and I followed a Food for Good meal delivery truck into various apartment complexes in an urban part of Dallas. Henry Tasby (with his truck at right), a Frito-Lay Route Sales Representative, led the Food for Good route and drove the delivery truck. He runs a tight ship, which is important because he is responsible for one of the busiest Food for Good routes.  He drives his entire route with his windows rolled down, his Marc Broussard tunes blaring and a big smile on his face.  Before we made our first stop, children started coming out from everywhere -- holding hands, running, laughing and riding bikes -- ready to line up for their nutritious meal and a drink.  

Before our arrival, the AmeriCorps volunteers set up tents and blankets at each stop on the route, where Henry and volunteers serve the meals at the same time daily. That way, the children know where to go even before the truck arrives.  My job for the day was to help put the meals together for handout and to interact with the children.  For breakfast, the meals include a fresh apple, a Quaker bar and milk.  The lunches contain turkey sandwiches on wheat bread, a fresh apple, orange juice and milk.  After the kids ate their lunches, we passed out the afternoon snack, and then it was activity time! We jumped rope, played soccer and drew with sidewalk chalk. It was amazing to see and experience the joy we brought into the communities and how incredibly gracious the children and parents were when we   passed out the meals.  

As a parent myself, I was humbled to see the smiles on the kids’ faces, knowing there are likely days in which they don’t know where the next meal will come from. As they finished their meals and the families went back to their homes, I heard several of the kids say, “See you tomorrow, Henry,” waving with excitement.

We talk about Performance with Purpose every day at Frito-Lay/PepsiCo.  Last week, that vision came to life for me in a very different way than it had before.  It was truly refreshing to participate and give back in person -- more so than just making a financial donation.  It felt good to help spread joy and hope, and to be part of a company that truly values what that means. Knowing how this makes me feel, I encourage my coworkers, friends and our Snack Chat readers to get involved in your own communities. Once you do, you’ll see ow simple actions really can make a difference.

- Brooke

A Few Days Left in the Givin' Where You're Livin' Sweepstakes!

Snack Chat Chief Blogger Dave Philips blogged last month about his favorite ways the Fritos brand team has reacted to consumer insights and brought exciting and innovative programs and products to life. One of the programs he mentioned is the current partnership between Fritos and country music artist Tim McGraw's foundation, Neighbor's Keepers Fund, to help people in need and encourage the spirit of neighbors helping neighbors. 

In addition to donating money to support the fund, which contributes to the communities Tim is playing in as part of his "Southern Voice" tour this year, Fritos partnered with Dollar General, one of our key customer accounts, to promote the tour by offering a fun sweepstakes with some cool prizes. Visit the Dollar General Web site now to enter to win a trip to see Tim live in concert in NY, fun fan packs, Dollar General gift cards and other exciting prizes! 

I like seeing classic American brands, like Fritos, and our partners, like Dollar General, come together to support community-oriented organizations, like the Neighbor's Keepers Fund. After all, the communities it's serving are OUR communities. 

- Kristin H