Are We Onto Something? Why PepsiCo's Big Move Feels Like a Win for Indie Snack Brands

Lately, I’ve been watching the headlines with a quiet sense of satisfaction—and a whole lot of curiosity.

 

PepsiCo just announced they're rolling out new versions of Cheetos and Doritos without artificial colours or flavours. They’re also rebranding Lay’s and Tostitos to spotlight their simple, natural ingredients—just potatoes, oil, and salt. By the end of 2025, synthetic dyes like Red 40 and Yellow 5 will be phased out across their snack lines.

 

Sound familiar?

 

This Is What We’ve Been Doing All Along

 

This clean-label shift is exactly what we’ve been championing at PopCornaa since day one. Bold, plant-based flavours. Zero artificial junk. Just real, honest ingredients that don’t compromise on taste.

 

And now, the giants are catching up.

 

PepsiCo’s plans go even further: they’re introducing avocado and olive oils, enriching products with protein and fibre, and even leaning into cane sugar-sweetened drinks. It’s a full-on pivot to wellness—and it’s being driven by two things: consumer demand and regulatory pressure.

Are We Onto Something? Absolutely.

 

When we launched PopCornaa, it was built on a gut instinct—literally and figuratively—that food should be fun, nourishing, and transparent. We stuck to our guns on ingredients. We made popcorn for people like us who wanted snacks that were exciting and ethical. And we proved that plant-based can be wildly flavourful.

 

So to now see the world’s biggest snack companies following suit?

 

It’s a huge validation—not just for us, but for every indie food brand that stuck to its values while the industry played catch-up.

 

The Future of Snacks Is Clear (and Clean)

 

What excites me most is that this shift isn’t just a marketing moment—it’s a movement. And PopCornaa has been proud to help lead the way.

 

Consumers today are smart. They read ingredient lists. They want transparency. They want snacks that feel good and taste amazing. And more and more, they want to support brands that stand for something.

 

We didn’t wait for a trend report to tell us that.

 

We are the trend.

 

Join the Clean Snacking Revolution

 

We’re so proud to be part of this new wave of better snacking—one delicious, plant-based, artificial-free bite at a time.