The days of shockingly orange-powdered fingers — and the resulting Cheetle dust all over your couch — may be on their way out. PepsiCo, parent of Frito-Lay’s snack stalwarts Cheetos and Doritos, announced Thursday that it’s making a new version of the famously flame-colored snack foods without artificial flavors and dyes. The company is releasing an updated set of snacks under its new Simply NKD brand on Dec. 1, and they won’t look as vibrantly, unnaturally colored as they have in the past.
Only the snacks’ appearance is changing, according to the company, which says the treats will taste — and crunch — the same as ever. 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’re available, you can preorder them now.
PepsiCo notes that it’s taken only eight weeks from concept to completion to develop the brand. Kraft Heinz says it needs two years before the company is ready to do the same for its equally bright Jell-O and Kool-Aid.
Bye-bye, Red Dye No. 3
These moves come in response to the Trump administration’s drive to eliminate petroleum-based dyes from food; the FDA banned Red Dye No. 3 in January 2025. US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been advocating for US food companies to phase out the use of petroleum-based synthetic food dyes.
According to PepsiCo, the Simply NKD products are “completely colorless,” although the provided photos don’t appear to support this claim. The Cheetos appear yellowish-beige, and the Doritos resemble plain, unflavored tortilla chips.
But without their iconic, almost glow-in-the-dark colors, are they still the snack food we know and love? The distinctive coloring certainly adds to the sense of guilty pleasure.
It’s not clear whether they’re still covered in Cheetle, the infamously sticky flavor dust that makes it impossible to touch anything while you’re Cheetoing and which coats your fingertips in an orange that’s really hard to remove.
A representative for PepsiCo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
If anyone was fooled into thinking the new Simply NKD snacks are health food, they should think again. PepsiCo didn’t release an ingredient list for the Simply NKD line, but Cheetos Puffs, for example, contain 200mg of sodium and 13% of your recommended daily allowance of fat for only 13 or so puffs.
