PepsiCo Launches Dye-Free Cheetos & Doritos Amidst Food Industry Pushback

PepsiCo's "NKD" Snack Line

• 🚀 PepsiCo is introducing "Simply Naked" versions of Cheetos and Doritos, which will contain no artificial colors or flavors.
• 🎯 These new versions are positioned as an additional option for consumers, not a replacement for existing products.
• 💡 The company assures that the flavor will remain the same despite the visual difference.

Industry-Wide Shift Away From Dyes

• ⚠️ The move by PepsiCo aligns with a broader push, including calls from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the FDA, for companies to remove artificial dyes from their food products.
• 🤝 Other major companies, such as Kraft, are also working to eliminate dyes from their offerings.

"Americans for Ingredient Transparency" (Aphit)

• 💰 A new group, reportedly backed by major food companies and called Americans for Ingredient Transparency (Aphit), is emerging as a counter-movement.
• ⚖️ Aphit argues that varying state-level regulations on additives will increase consumer prices due to the need for product reformulation across different states.
• 🚩 Critics, including food activists like Vani Hari (The Food Babe), view Aphit as a front group for big food aiming to roll back progress made by movements advocating for cleaner ingredients.

Regulatory Landscape and Activism

• 📈 Nearly 30 states have enacted or are considering legislation to restrict artificial dyes and other additives in packaged foods.
• ⚖️ Many of the wins for the "Moms" movement have come through political pressure and voluntary commitments rather than federal laws, lacking strong legal enforcement.
• 🗳️ Food activists are questioning whether the financial backing of big food companies can overcome the momentum and grassroots support of the "Moms" movement, especially with upcoming midterms.