In addition to its diverse array of increasingly unique flavors, Frito-Lay is striving to make its products healthier to attract snackers looking for indulgence while still feeling they are consuming nutritious, better-for-you options, rather than just empty calories filled with fat, sugar, and salt. Innovations include Simply Tostitos Black Bean tortilla chips, offering 4 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per serving; Sun Chips Veggie Harvest chips, crafted from vegetables and whole grains; and Smartfood Delight popcorn, which contains only 35 calories per cup, as noted by Food Business News. They have also introduced a new line of Lightly Salted Lay’s and Fritos snack chips, which contain half the sodium of their original counterparts. Furthermore, Frito-Lay is exploring the possibility of creating chips from legumes, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, yucca, carrots, turnips, and/or cassava, potentially incorporating calcium citrate without vitamin D3 into their formulations.
Snacks continue to perform well for PepsiCo, with its latest earnings report revealing a 3.2% increase in sales for Frito-Lay, Doritos, and Cheetos for the quarter ending September 9. The snack sector is outpacing the beverage division, which has traditionally been a central aspect of the soda giant’s business. Snacking and grab-and-go convenience foods have become commonplace for many busy consumers—a trend that brand marketers and retailers have taken notice of. According to a recent report from Mintel, half of adults snack two to three times a day, and 70% believe any food can qualify as a snack. A study by Datassential indicates that consumers typically consume about four to five snack foods daily, although they tend to overstate their intake of healthy snacks, such as fruits, nuts, yogurt, and vegetables. In reality, they consume more salty and crunchy snacks, with nearly half (48%) admitting to eating at least one salty snack each day.
Chips often exemplify the quintessential salty, crunchy snack, but that doesn’t necessitate that they be unhealthy, particularly with a focus on attracting millennials. This demographic not only represents the largest population group in U.S. history—accounting for 23.4% of the total populace—but is also emerging as the most health-conscious generation. Food manufacturers aiming to engage this group recognize the need to provide intriguing flavors and healthier options or to reformulate existing products to align with the better-for-you category.
Other companies have also responded to the demand for healthier snacking. For example, Kellogg has launched a line of LOUD Pringles made from corn, grains, and vegetables. While these products may seem like a shift from traditionally unhealthy potato chips, their caloric content remains unchanged. As Pringles Marketing Director Kurt Simon remarked to CNN Money, “We’re not trying to convey that the new crisps are better for you.”
Frito-Lay is clearly eager to reduce saturated fat and salt in its offerings, in accordance with PepsiCo’s 2025 agenda. In a progress report released in September, PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi indicated that within just one year, the company had “reduced added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium in its beverage and snacks portfolio volume in 2016, compared to 2015 baselines” across the company’s top 10 beverage and food markets globally. PepsiCo has established ambitious nutrition goals for all its brands, and Frito-Lay appears committed to achieving them. As long as consumers resonate with the company’s redefined vision of what a chip can be, PepsiCo and Frito-Lay seem well-positioned for success.