PepsiCo has reformulated Doritos to make them “crunchier, more substantial” and HFSS-compliant.
It has added more corn to the recipe, “fine-tuned” its cooking process, and tweaked its seasonings to deliver “the crunchiest Doritos yet”.
The reformulated chips are claimed to provide “a better base to load with salsas and dips”, with up to 24% less salt and 15% less fat than the previous recipe.
They are already used in packs of Doritos Dippers and Doritos Extra Flamin’ Hot, but now the core Doritos range – Cool Original, Tangy Cheese and Chilli Heatwave – is transitioning to the new chips.
Reformulated packs began rolling into UK supermarkets at the beginning of this week, having already launched in the Netherlands, where consumers “have responded positively”.
The move was the result of “years of meticulous research, development and testing” by PepsiCo’s teams in Leicester and Coventry, according to the manufacturer.
It was made possible by PepsiCo’s recent £13m investment in its Coventry site, which has been the home of Doritos since the brand first launched in the UK 30 years ago.
The investment funded the replacement of a manufacturing line, allowing changes to be made to each stage of the production process – from corn washing and milling to cutting and cooking.
During consumer testing, 91% of 600 shoppers who ate Doritos once a week or more gave the bolder crunch a thumbs up [Monadic consumer home use test, January 2023].
“Our teams have spent years mastering the art of cooking up delicious tortilla chips and this recipe is the culmination of all their hard work to perfect the trademark Doritos crunch,” said PepsiCo UK senior director for R&D Robert Lowery.
“We can’t wait for these Doritos to land on shelves across the UK, bringing fans bold flavour and even more crunch in every chip,” Lowery added.
Walkers’ reformulation efforts
The move contributes to Walkers’ ambition to make snacks that are non-HFSS or sold in portions of under 100 calories comprise 50% of its sales by 2025.
In spring 2022, it unveiled its first non-HFSS crisps range 45% Less Salt, comprising reduced salt versions of Ready Salted, Cheese & Onion and Salt & Vinegar.
When it reformulated Sunbites to make them HFSS compliant in 2023, Walkers claimed it was already ”over halfway to reaching this goal – with 30% of the snack brand’s sales now made up of healthier snacks”.
In February 2024, it added Mature Cheddar & Chilli Chutney and Crushed Sea Salt & Black Peppercorn Sensations, both of which are HFSS compliant.
This was followed by the rollout of non-HFSS sub-brand Extra Flamin’ Hot in March, which saw the introduction of new variants for Doritos, Walkers Max and Wotsits Crunchy.
In June, Walkers added non-HFSS spin-off Yummy With for Wotsits and Monster Munch. The products are made with chickpea and contain 25% less salt than the average extruded product.
Earlier this month, it slashed the salt content in Sensations Thai Sweet Chilli by 18% this month, making them HFSS compliant
PepsiCo said it had achieved this through “clever application of salt particles, ingredient selection and by using the power of aroma to influence how we interpret flavour, our team of flavour experts”.
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