Lay’s potato chips aren’t the only popular snack food that’s getting a makeover. Changes are also coming up for Doritos and Cheetos, two other snack brands owned by PepsiCo.
Earlier this month, Audacy reported on the biggest brand redesign in Lay’s history, including a focus on farm-fresh ingredients. During a third-quarter earnings call, PepsiCo leadership also discussed further developments guided by health trends such as the move away from artificial ingredients championed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
According to Delish, both Doritos (flavored tortilla chips) and Cheetos (cheese-flavored corn puffs) are on the path to becoming less artificial. Current ingredient lists for both brands include “natural and artificial flavors.”
“Now the move to no-artificials impacting all our brands, Lay’s and Tostitos now, then the rest of the portfolio throughout 2026,” said Ramon L. Laguarta, chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, Inc., during an Oct. 9 earnings call. “And a new platform, we call it Naked, that will have no colors and no artificials. We’ll see how consumers react to the same great flavors with no colors. The customers are really very excited. We’re also excited. Let’s see if we can take consumers along in what would be a great development for the category.”
Laguarta also said there has been a “lot of innovation on protein,” and mentioned the upcoming Doritos Protein. He said that GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, which help manage conditions like diabetes and obesity in part by decreasing appetite, have impacted consumer behavior, along with health initiatives to move away from artificial ingredients and ultra-processed foods.
FoodDive noted that the changes in store for Doritos and Cheetos also include “expanding its use of avocado and olive oil, a response to growing consumer and regulatory pressure to remove synthetic additives and seed oils.”
“We’re trying to improve our competitiveness within the different subsegments of the category. So, we’re happy at the progress in many of the subsegments of the food business,” Laguarta said over the summer. “If you think about the performance of Cheetos in the extruded segment, if you think about the performance of Doritos in tortilla chips, if you think about our permissible portfolio becoming much more relevant in our overall mix, it’s over $2 billion.”
Already, PepsiCo offers versions of Ruffles, Cheetos, Doritos and Tostitos without artificial colors or flavors under the Simply banner, per FoodDive. According to Delish, the upcoming changes will likely make the neon hues of Doritos and Cheetos “a shade less electric,” but that consumers’ fingers will probably still be orange-dusted after finishing a bag.
In September, NBC News reported that new versions of Doritos and Cheetos will replace artificial colors like Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6, with a mix of beets, radishes, paprika, annatto and turmeric. It included photos of the naturally colored snacks.
“They come with their own flavor, right, just like a vegetable would, and we’re blending them into those seasonings,” said Denise Lefebvre, senior vice president of global foods research and development at PepsiCo. “So you really have to manage those flavors together.”
In addition to PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz and multiple ice cream companies are some of the other businesses that have recently announced health-minded changes to their products.