The much-awaited (by some) healthier Prebiotic Pepsi bevs are premiering today. Piggybacking on the traditional Black Friday retail sector chaos. When it’s time to relax… Seek one out, kick back, and see what you think…
Pre-Biotic Pepsi – A Healthier fizzy drink in Traditional Cola and Retro Cherry Vanilla…
Call it a revolution in Fizzy beverages (which Pepsi does), but it’s also a classic ‘newstalgia’ move. Ancient, venerable – timeless – soda flavours with a new twist.
A little history…
PepsiCo has had a less than stellar year or so. First, they lost their traditional runner-up spot in the soda standings (after first-place Coke) to Dr. Pepper in the latest (2024) annual soda sales sweeps.
Then they suffered sales setbacks in their salty-snacks division, headlined by Lay’s.
In fact, Lay’s closed, permanently, a 55-year-old Potato Chip plant in Rancho Cucamonga, California, lats May. It was just the latest plant closure by a food giant. And it comes amid a general pullback in consumer spending that’s hitting products generally funded by so-called ‘disposable income’.
In another context, snacks are called ‘non-essentials’, and they’re commonly first to be cut when consumers’ cash gets short. In yet another, the word seems to be sinking into the collective consumer brain that fatty, salty snacks aren’t good for us.
But now, Pepsi is on a crusade to recapture it’s former glory.
Snacks to be ‘revamped’
And Pepsi isn’t kidding when they use the term, ‘revamped’!
First, the pre-biotic soda is described as, ‘deliver[ing] the taste you know and love, paired with healthy functional ingredients. Each can includes 3 grams of pre-biotic fiber, only 30 calories, and 5 grams of sugar, without artificial sweeteners.”
“This breakthrough innovation upholds the iconic taste of Pepsi that people love, now with no artificial sweeteners, lower sugar, and functional ingredients,” Gustavo Reyna, vice president of marketing at Pepsi, said in a statement. It’s an inimitable taste – designed to meet the demands of cola lovers, cola newcomers, and everyone in between.”
As for the Lays products… All artificial colour and flavour additives will be removed from Lay’s core products by the end of this year. Also:
- Lay’s Baked: Now made with olive oil, resulting in 50 percent less fat than regular potato chips.
- Lay’s Kettle Cooked Reduced Fat Original Sea Salt: A new version made with avocado oil, offering 40 percent less fat than regular potato chips.
- Dips: Lay’s white dips will also be made without artificial flavors and colors by early 2026.
In addition, all Lay’s products aimed at kids will be brought in line with official recommendations for salt, fat and additives in time for the upcoming school year. This after a series of scathing reviews by Consumer Reports and other third-party watchdogs condemning many popular kid-oriented packaged foods as unhealthy.
My take
I commend Pepsi’s moves to make their products ‘healthier’. But I wonder if their efforts will be sufficient to achieve their overall goal – regaining their past glory?
~ Maggie J.