Our Methodology 2022

To assess the progress of PHA partner commitments, we work with a team of external verifiers, including:

• Altarum
• Keybridge
• Leading Health, LLC

Methodology - Corporate Partners and Commitments

Keurig Dr Pepper’s progress toward its commitment to increasing the number of beverage products in its portfolio that contain one serving of fruit or vegetable or contain nutrients to encourage or functional attributes with less than 40 calories per serving was reviewed by Leading Health, a consulting organization hired by Partnership for a Healthier America to serve as an independent verifier for partnership commitments. SKU-level data on beverages sold in Keuring Dr Pepper’s beverage markets was reviewed, as well as governance documents detailing the methodology used by Keuring Dr Pepper to determine the total beverage volumes sold in these markets and nutritional information related to products sold in these markets, including definitions, assumptions, calculations, and rounding procedures. Product data and methods were reviewed for completeness against guidelines agreed upon by Keurig Dr Pepper and Partnership for a Healthier America, as well as publicly available information on Keurig Dr Pepper products.

Keurig Dr Pepper’s commitment to disclosing in its annual Corporate Responsibility Report their marketing dollars spent to drive sales of products which meet the established definition was reviewed by Partnership for a Healthier, and Keurig Dr Pepper’s commitment to creating and disclosing a company-wide responsible marketing policy that informs the advertising practices the company engages in when reaching all consumers was reviewed by Partnership for a Healthier America.

PepsiCo’s progress towards meeting goals to reduce added sugars in its beverage portfolio and reduce sodium and saturated fat in its convenient foods portfolio was reviewed by Altarum, a nonprofit research and consulting organization hired by Partnership for a Healthier America to serve as an independent verifier for partnership commitments. An Altarum staff member reviewed SKU-level data on beverages and convenient foods sold in PepsiCo’s top global beverage markets and top global convenient foods markets, as well as governance documents detailing the methodology used by PepsiCo to determine the total beverage and convenient foods volumes sold in these markets and nutritional information related to products sold in these markets, including definitions, assumptions, calculations, and rounding procedures. Product data and methods were reviewed for completeness against guidelines agreed upon by PepsiCo and Partnership for a Healthier America, as well as publicly available information on PepsiCo products. Calculations were reviewed for accuracy and reproducibility using a random sample of U.S. beverage and convenient foods products from PepsiCo’s portfolio and publicly available data on nutrients in the selected products.

Below is a summary of the key steps followed to calculate the share of vending machine offerings that met the NAMA standard. The process was more or less the same for calculating the baseline and progress update percentages, though there were some differences which are discussed in section IV. Time Period. Data for this analysis represent what was in machines at the time that the data were retrieved in early 2023. Previous analyses featured data from late 2021/early 2022 and late 2019.

1. Collect Data Showing Product Availability in Each Vending Machine. Keybridge collects planogram data for all food and beverage vending machines operated by participating NAMA members. The data identify the products available in each vending machine. Consolidate Vending Machine Data. Keybridge then consolidates the planogram data by product, keeping a count of the number of vending machines in which each product is available for each operator.
2. Collect Nutrition Data. Keybridge collected nutrition data from three different sources: Compass/Canteen, USDA, and 365 Smartshop. Match the vending machine data to nutrition data. Keybridge uses UPC codes, product names, and product attributes to link nutrition information with the list of products in vending machines. Matching is challenging because (1) the nutrition datasets are incomplete (i.e., not all products in the planogram data are in the nutrition data), (2) some of the planogram and nutrition data have incomplete or incorrect UPCs, and (3) product names are inconsistent and cannot be easily matched. As a result, Keybridge puts a large amount of effort into matching unmatched products, which is critical for being able to assess the compliance of those products with nutrition standards. The focus of manual efforts to match planogram and nutrition information was on high-volume products (i.e., those that are available in more machines).
3. Prepare the data for analysis. Keybridge cleaned up the data to ensure that products could be measured against nutrition standards. Among other things, this included: (1) categorizing products as beverages, snacks, or food; (2) syncing units of measurement for nutrients and product size; and (3) identifying first ingredients. Determine whether products meet various nutrition standards. Keybridge compared nutrition information against nutrition standards used by five different government and nonprofit organizations: USDA, CDC, CSPI, AHA, and PHA. Products that meet two or more of those standards were identified as products that meet the standards for the NAMA public health commitment.
4. Calculate the share of products that meet the NAMA standard in the average vending machine. The product-level compliance determinations discussed above were applied back to the planogram (machine-specific) data. The share of offerings that met the standard in each machine was then calculated. The average across all machines was then determined.

Methodology - Good Food for All

To continue to improve the Good Food for All program and measure its impact, participants completed pre, post, and follow-up surveys from Altarum about produce consumption and habits. The data will be used to showcase unmet demand for fresh produce and to create opportunities for food retailers to meet demand at an affordable price point.

Methodology - Healthy Hunger Relief

Healthy Hunger Relief partners received support from Partnership for a Healthier America to implement a comprehensive nutrition ranking system, developed by an expert panel led by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Healthy Eating Research. In addition, Partnership for a Healthier America provided technical assistance to help partners understand the nutritional quality of their inventory and make strategic decisions within and across food categories to improve nutritional quality, enhancing food equity for the communities they served. This support included the Healthy Hunger Relief Index, an internal survey and personalized progress report to help food banks make lasting health-focused organizational change.

Methodology - Veggies Early & Often

To assess progress on commitments, verifiers reviewed product ingredient lists and nutrition facts panels to ensure products available provided vegetable servings and limits on saturated fat, added sugars and salt. Parent education campaign materials, websites, videos, and social media posts were reviewed for accuracy and consistency with the Veggies Early & Often Initiative goals.