MAHA movement WINS: PepsiCo releases NEW Cheetos and Doritos alternatives amid RFK Jr.’s health crusade
Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
“Rest assured, our iconic Cheetos and Doritos remain unchanged. NKD is an additive option, not a replacement, introduced to meet consumer demand,” says Rachel Ferdinando, CEO of PepsiCo Foods U.S. “This move underscores our commitment to flavor leadership, demonstrating that our taste remains strong even without visual cues. As part of our broader transformation, we are expanding choices while still protecting our iconic brands. More choices, same flavor, same brand power.”
The new chips come in familiar flavors. Doritos will have Cool Ranch and Nacho Cheese, and Cheetos will have Puffs and Flamin’ Hot.
The new snacks appear to be a pale yellow, not the vibrant colors of the old recipe.
While the new Simply NKD varieties are supposed to taste like the originals, they will have shorter ingredient lists. As the AP reported, the new products do not have flavor-enhancing ingredients disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate, for example.
PepsiCo joins a growing list of companies that have removed or begun to phase out artificial ingredients from their foods lately. In-N-Out, Tyson Foods, Kraft Heinz, and McCormick have made similar commitments previously, to name a few.
These commitments come after the Food and Drug Administration banned Red No. 3 just before the beginning of Trump’s second term.
In response to a request for comment, HHS referred Blaze News to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s July 19, 2025, celebration of PepsiCo’s previous announcement that it planned to remove artificial colors and flavors from Lay’s and Tostitos.
At the time, RFK said, “PepsiCo just announced it will eliminate artificial colors and flavors from Lay’s and Tostitos by year’s end — and expand the use of avocado and olive oil in place of canola and soybean oil. I urge every other food company to follow their lead and join the movement to Make America Healthy Again.”
The new chips will be available in stores on December 1.
Editor’s note: The headline of this article was edited after publication for clarity.
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