Doritos and Cheetos Offering Dye-Free Options. We Have So Many Questions
The days of incredibly orange-powdered fingers – and the resulting Cheetle dust on your couch – may be on their way out. PepsiCo, parent company of snack stalwarts Frito-Lay, Cheetos and Doritos, announced Thursday that it is making a new version of the popular flame-colored snacks without artificial flavors or colors. The company is launching an updated set of snacks under its new Simply NKD brand on December 1, and they won’t look as vibrant and unnaturally colorful as in the past.
Only the appearance of the snacks changes, according to the company, which says the treats will still have the same taste and crunch. This new line is not a replacement for the original neon-colored snacks, but rather an alternative for those who want to avoid artificial colors and flavors.
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The first offerings in the line will be Doritos Simply NKD Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch flavors, as well as Cheetos Simply NKD Puffs and Flamin’ Hot. If you feel the need to get them as soon as they become available, you can pre-order them now.
PepsiCo notes that it took just eight weeks from concept to completion to develop the brand. Kraft Heinz says it will take two years before the company is ready to do the same for its equally brilliant Jell-O and Kool-Aid.
Goodbye, red dye no. 3
These measures follow the Trump administration’s push to eliminate petroleum-based dyes from foods; the FDA banned red dye No. 3 in January 2025. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has advocated for U.S. food companies to phase out the use of petroleum-based synthetic food dyes.
According to PepsiCo, Simply NKD products are “completely colorless,” although the photos provided do not appear to support this claim. Cheetos appear yellowish-beige and Doritos look like plain, flavorless tortilla chips.
But without their iconic, almost phosphorescent colors, are they still the snack we know and love? The distinctive coloring certainly adds to the guilty pleasure feeling.
It’s unclear if they’re still covered in Cheetle, the infamous sticky flavor dust that makes it impossible to touch anything while playing Cheetoing and which coats your fingertips in an orange color that’s very difficult to remove.
A representative for PepsiCo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
If anyone thought that the new Simply NKD snacks are health food, they should think again. PepsiCo hasn’t released an ingredient list for the Simply NKD line, but Cheetos Puffs, for example, contain 200 mg of sodium and 13 percent of your recommended daily fat intake in just about 13 puffs.
