PepsiCo unveils Food & Beverage innovations debuting at Expo 2020 Dubai

As the Official Beverage and Snack Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, PepsiCo has unveiled leading innovations that are set to transform the F&B industry, from the way we consume to the way we shop. With a commitment to offer products that taste good and do good for the planet, PepsiCo will bring Sunbites® compostable packaging to Expo 2020 Dubai as well as the Aquafina® Water Station, a hydration solution that drives sustainable consumer behavior while delivering personalized, on-the-go experiences. Additionally, on-site at Expo 2020 Dubai, visitors will experience the future of retail, through an AI powered shopping journey that allows for contactless payment with - Pepsi Go.

Expo 2020 Dubai will open its doors on 1 October 2021, and welcome the world for six unforgettable months, uniting people, communities, and nations to deliver solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing the planet. Leading the charge when it comes to sustainable and consumer-centric innovations within the food and beverage industry, PepsiCo’s new ways to snack and drink will elevate personalization, streamline the shopping experience, and contribute to a healthier planet and people.

“At PepsiCo, we’re driving positive environmental impact by investing in innovative offerings that engage and encourage people to make sustainable choices throughout the day. With the Aquafina® Water Station and the compostable Sunbites® packaging, we are introducing drinking and snacking that tastes good, and does good. Pepsi Go unattended store is the result of cross-industry cooperation, allowing industry leaders to collaborate in the incubator of Expo 2020 Dubai and deliver innovations that truly elevate the consumer shopping experience. We look forward to debuting these innovations at Expo 2020 Dubai, creating millions of smiles with every sip and every bite,” said PepsiCo’s MENA and Pakistan GM and President, Aamer Sheikh.

Products that taste good and do good

PepsiCo is taking a leading role in championing sustainability within the food and beverage industry, challenging today to change tomorrow. The introduction of the Aquafina® Water Station and industrially compostable Sunbites® packaging help drive PepsiCo and Expo 2020 Dubai’s ambition to deliver the most sustainable World Expo ever.

As part of Aquafina’s® ongoing commitment to reduce single-use plastic, PepsiCo’s global hydration brand will debut the Aquafina® Water Station at Expo 2020 Dubai. The innovative new hydration platform was designed to provide a personalized and great-tasting experience, while encouraging good water stewardship.

The water station allows consumers to customize their drink, choosing between still or sparkling water, with the option of adding a variety of flavors like strawberry, lime, peach and raspberry-lime, as well as controlling the flavor intensity. Further personalization includes adjustable carbonation level and temperature control to ensure every sip meets their personal preferences. Once the user has perfected their order the Aquafina® Water Station’s QR-enabled reusable bottle syncs via a connected system, ensuring a user can get their perfect drink at any other Aquafina® Water Station, seamlessly.

PepsiCo is also bringing compostable packaging for its beloved snack, Sunbites®, exclusively to Expo 2020 Dubai. Industrially compostable and bio-based, the new Sunbites® packaging includes plant-based materials. The packaging also boasts a lower greenhouse gas footprint compared to a traditional snack bag, meaning the entire production line is kinder to the planet. PepsiCo continues its work to develop and deploy packaging materials and new business models for delivering convenient foods and packaging that meet our sustainability goals and is excited to use the platform of Expo 2020 Dubai to showcase its progress and innovative pilots.

Revolutionizing the shopping experience

The drive to change the way we snack and drink goes beyond the PepsiCo product portfolio and is channeled into the very future of retail. Using the power of the Expo 2020 Dubai platform to forge strong partnerships with technology and payment entities, PepsiCo has partnered with Mastercard to develop real-world solutions to meet the growing consumer demand for more autonomy and digital shopping experiences. The result of this collaboration is the Pepsi Go unattended store, an AI-powered, unmanned store that will first open its doors at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Pepsi Go will allow visitors to experience the future of unmanned stores and seamless, invisible, check-outs. In partnership with Mastercard, the Pepsi Go experience was designed around shoppers’ needs and brought to life using industry-leading technologies. Customers start their journey by tapping, inserting, or swiping a valid payment card to open the kiosk’s doors. Once inside, the store uses AI and computer recognition technology to track the PepsiCo snacks and beverages shoppers select. To check out, customers simply exit the gates and the Mastercard Payment Gateway Services technology automatically initiates the payment, making checkout queues a thing of the past. The experience is designed to be secure, contactless, and seamless.

Over the last 18 months, the world has seen the acceleration of digital payments, driven by realities of the pandemic, coupled with a consumer demand for more autonomy and more digital shopping experiences. Pepsi Go not only responds to this demand but it also offers a more efficient and seamless journey.

“As the Official Payment Technology Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, we are excited to showcase the future of retail payments at the Pepsi Go store. For over two years, we have been developing this first-of-its-kind checkout experience for the region alongside our strategic partners PepsiCo, and we are thrilled to see it come to life for Expo 2020 Dubai. The gold standard of retail shopping is here, and we welcome visitors to experience this innovation and Start Something Priceless at Expo 2020 Dubai,” said Gaurang Shah, Senior Vice President, Product Management, Digital Payments & Labs, Middle East and Africa, Mastercard.

Expo 2020 Dubai and PepsiCo share a vision to make Expo 2020 Dubai the most sustainable World Expo ever, during and beyond the six-month event. Throughout Expo 2020 Dubai, PepsiCo will take a leading role in showing millions of people what sustainable and innovative food and beverage practices look like, challenging today, to change tomorrow.