PepsiCo is to spend billions of dollars to develop drinks and snacks and reformulate existing ones with lower sugar, salt and fat, as consumers demand healthier options and regulatory pressure intensifies amid an obesity epidemic（流行病）.

    The maker of Mountain Dew and Gatorade has been one of the earlier movers in the industry to offer products with reduced levels of unhealthy ingredients—PepsiCo claims a packet of its chips now contains less salt than a slice of white bread. However, its new 10-year plan makes clear it believes it still has a long way to go.

Shifting eating habits, including a sharp drop in consumption of sparkling drinks, have forced radical change on the industry. But those shifts have yet to be reflected in record obesity levels, which stand at 36.5% overall in the US.

    Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo chairman, said the plan to make its products healthier was important for the company’s growth. But on the subject of obesity, she pointed out that consumers’ lifestyles have changed significantly, with many people being more sedentary（久坐不动的）not least because more time is spent in front of computers. She said PepsiCo’s contribution was to produce healthier snacks that still tasted good.

    “Society has to change its habits,” she added. “We can’t do much to alter sedentary lifestyles, but we can provide consumers with great-tasting products, low in salt, sugar and fat. In the past we had to have a taste trade-off. But we’re breaking that trade-off.”

    PepsiCo’s plan for its foods and drinks is based on guidelines from the World Health Organization, which last week backed using taxes on sparkling drinks to reduce sugar consumption. Initiatives also include efforts to reduce its environmental impact, water consumption and materials used in packaging by 2025.

    PepsiCo did not say exactly how much it planned to invest to reach its goals. However, Dr. Mehmood Khan, chief scientific officer, said the company had doubled research and development spending in the past five years and was “committed to sustaining investment”, adding that companies cannot cost-cut their way to increasing sales. PepsiCo’s research and development budget in 2015 was $754 million.

解析：A。根据题干中的Indra Nooyi和alter its products可定位至文章第四段。第四段首句指出，让产品更健康的计划对公司的发展非常重要。文章中的the company’s growth对应A项中的the company’s future development。因此选择A项。虽然第三段指出“改变了的饮食习惯迫使该行业发生彻底变革”，但这不是卢英德指出的百事公司改变产品的原因，故B项错误。文章第五段第二句指出We can’t do much to alter sedentary lifestyles（我们无法改变久坐的生活方式），由此可知，C项错误。文章第五段最后两句指出必须打破口味上的平衡，而非设计上的平衡，故排除D项。