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PepsiCo Unveils ‘Simply NKD’ Doritos and Cheetos Without Artificial Colors or Flavors, Hitting Stores Dec. 1

PepsiCo positions the dye-free option as a response to regulatory pressure.

Overview

  • Preorders are live for four flavors—Doritos Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch, plus Cheetos Puffs and Flamin’ Hot—with retail availability set for Dec. 1.
  • The snacks drop petroleum-based dyes and artificial flavors, debut a pale-yellow look, and feature shorter ingredient lists that exclude additives like disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate.
  • Executives say the new chips deliver the same flavor profile as the originals, which will remain on shelves at the same price point.
  • The rollout aligns with HHS and FDA efforts to curtail synthetic food dyes and with state measures such as Texas warning labels and West Virginia restrictions.
  • PepsiCo says R&D produced the NKD line in about eight weeks, extending its broader shift toward natural colors following an accelerated transition announced in April.