Updated

Updated · Global News · Jul 10

PepsiCo Says North America Beverage Sales Fell 4% as Inflation and Gas Prices Squeezed Budgets

Updated

Updated · Global News · Jul 10

PepsiCo Says North America Beverage Sales Fell 4% as Inflation and Gas Prices Squeezed Budgets

Q: As PepsiCo cuts 20% of its US products, which popular snacks and drinks could soon disappear from store shelves nationwide?

PepsiCo has not published a full official list of the roughly 20% of U.S. SKUs it plans to cut, but reports tied to its 2026 portfolio reset suggest a number of familiar snack lines are at risk of disappearing from shelves, with some cuts possibly varying by region. Among the snack products most widely cited as being discontinued are Lay’s Sweet & Spicy Honey, Lay’s All Dressed, Lay’s Lightly Salted Barbecue, several Lay’s Poppables varieties, Doritos Golden Sriracha, Doritos Dinamita Xxtra Flamin’ Hot, Cheetos Cheese Pizza Puffs, Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Asteroids, Smartfood Movie Theater Butter, Smartfood Brown Butter & Sea Salt Kettle Corn, Ruffles Smokehouse BBQ, Tostitos Cantina Thin N Crispy chips, Tostitos Nacho Cheese Dip in the 16-ounce jar, Fritos Queso Flavor Twists, Chester’s Carolina Style BBQ Fries, and Rold Gold Cheddar. On drinks, the evidence is thinner. The materials provided do not show a broad beverage discontinuation list tied to the 20% U.S. SKU reduction. The clearest named PepsiCo drink products already identified as discontinued are Pepsi Mango, Nitro Pepsi Original Cola, and Nitro Pepsi Vanilla. At the same time, PepsiCo is continuing to invest in major beverage brands such as Gatorade and Pepsi Zero Sugar rather than signaling a sweeping pullback there. So, the likely near-term shelf losses are concentrated more in lower-velocity snack varieties than in PepsiCo’s core drinks.

3 articles · Updated · Global News · Jul 10

PepsiCo said North American beverage sales dropped 4% in the second quarter, while food volumes were essentially flat as shoppers pulled back on discretionary snacks and drinks.
Up to 15% price cuts on Lay’s and Doritos since February have not fully offset tighter household budgets, which CEO Ramon Laguarta said worsened more than the company expected.
Gas costs emerged as a key pressure point, with Laguarta telling analysts consumer behavior could keep shifting toward cheaper alternatives and smaller pack sizes if pump prices stay high.
PepsiCo still posted 2.4% organic revenue growth, driven mainly by stronger international markets including Germany, Poland, the U.K., India and China.
The results add to signs of broader consumer strain, after Dollarama and Walmart also flagged weaker confidence and more budget-conscious lower-income shoppers.