During an earnings conference call on Oct. 30, CEO James Quincey was asked about any plans for beverages infused with CBD, which is extracted from cannabis and said to relieve inflammation (among other benefits). “We don’t have any plans at this stage to get into this space,” he answered. Quincey later told CNBC: “It’s just not something we’re interested in.” The answer appears to close the door on the ingredient at Coke, for now at least. Coca-Cola had said in September that it was “closely watching the growth of non-psychoactive CBD as an ingredient in functional wellness beverages around the world.” In an interview with Quincey following the conference call, BD asked Quincey how Coke evaluates such an ingredient. Getting to “serious consideration” means crossing a number of “hurdles,” he said. “To put it in simple terms, there are at least three: Is it safe, is it legal, and is it consumable?” Quincey asked. He said safety means reaching a “consensus

There has been no shortage of speculation this year about whether PepsiCo will follow Coca-Cola’s lead in refranchising its U.S. soft drink bottling and distribution system. Some industry insiders believe the company’s recent CEO hand over to Ramon Laguarta could open the door to a strategy change. Others wonder how challenging it would be for PepsiCo to line up buyers for a full-scale refranchising. PepsiCo executives have said