They Panicked—PepsiCo Just Pledged to Drop All Artificial Flavors by 2025

PepsiCo is turning the food industry upside down—announcing that it will remove all artificial ingredients from its most popular U.S. products by the end of this year. No gimmicks. No half-measures. Just clean(er) labels—or so the company promises.

What’s Fueling the Rush?

CEO Ramon Laguarta revealed during an April 24 earnings call that PepsiCo is “accelerating the transition to natural ingredients”, driven by both regulatory pressure and shifting consumer preferences.
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PepsiCo already boasts a portfolio that’s over 60% free of artificial colors and flavors. Yet the company aims to expand that clean-label footprint to include household names—Doritos, Lay’s, Cheetos, Pepsi, Gatorade, and more—by December 2025.
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The catalyst? A sweeping initiative led by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. alongside FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who’ve spotlighted the health risks of petroleum-based dyes and additives—and pushed for their removal from food products by 2026.
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What’s Changing—and Why It Matters

• Reformulating Recipes
  Expect less neon-orange Cheetos and more paprika-tinged alternatives. Natural dyes and flavors are set to replace harsh synthetics across the board.

• Supply & Innovation Challenges
  Natural ingredients behave differently, and consistency—with taste, texture, and appearance—can be tricky. PepsiCo will need innovation to keep familiar flavors intact.
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• Consumers Win—or Do They?
  Health advocates hail this pivot as overdue, but critics scrutinize how “natural” the new ingredients really are—and whether such moves are more about image than impact.
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The Bigger Picture

This move marks a pivotal turning point—not just for PepsiCo but for the food industry at large. If major players can’t resist the pull of clean-label demands, smaller brands and private-label labels may follow.

All eyes now fall on whether Cheetos, Fritos, Mountain Dew, and Aunt Jemima products will soon carry the “natural ingredients” tagline alongside their familiar logos.