Some Cheetos and Doritos will look a little different soon.
Starting in December, stores will sell Simply NKD versions of the popular snack that have no artificial flavors or dyes — meaning no bright orange color, PepsiCo announced Thursday.
The move comes following a push by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to get rid of synthetic food dyes in the nation’s food supply. The Food and Drug Administration asked the industry to stop using dyes in April, but stopped short of banning them.
For Cheetos and Doritos, the original versions will still be available in addition to the new options.
“NKD is an additive option, not a replacement, introduced to meet consumer demand,” CEO of PepsiCo Foods U.S. Rachel Ferdinando said in a statement.
Brielle Patton, D3 Studio
The company also promises the flavor will be the same.
“We are reinventing our iconic — and most famous — brands to deliver options with the bold flavors fans know and love, now reimagined without any colors or artificial flavors,” Hernán Tantardini, CMO of PepsiCo Foods U.S., said.
The NKD collection will launch with four flavors: Doritos Simply NKD Nacho Cheese, Doritos Simply NKD Cool Ranch and Cheetos Simply NKD Flamin’ Hot.
They will be available in stores starting Dec. 1, PepsiCo said.
Other companies, including Kraft Heinz, have pledged to remove artificial dyes from their U.S. products. And some states, such as West Virginia, have banned them.
The push to remove dyes stems from concerns they inflate the consumption of unhealthy foods and raise the risk of possible behavioral changes in some children, such as hyperactivity, sleeplessness and inattention.
The food dye industry has denied any safety concerns with artificial dyes.
And some doctors say food dyes are not the biggest threat to our health.
“The health risks really pale in comparison with the health risks of the added salt, sugar and fat in processed food,” Dr. Celine Gounder, a CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, said in July.
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