PepsiCo CEO explains stagnant U.S. snack volume in second quarter
Ramon Laguarta, CEO of PepsiCo, addresses the company’s second quarter earnings report, titled “The Claman Countdown,” detailing strong global growth in snack and beverage volumes. He cites dissatisfaction with the performance of snacks in the US, citing plans for affordable investments, portfolio transformation and out-of-home growth to accelerate market presence.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Shoppers are mourning several grocery items this year — from a nostalgic juice staple to cult snack flavors that have reportedly been pulled from shelves.
Some 2,026 grocery trips are confirmed, while more have been reported by food outlets and shoppers.
Coca-Cola has confirmed its long-standing freezer aisle closure due to “changing consumer preferences,” the Associated Press (AP) said earlier this year.
DANNON’S DECISION TO KILL BELOVED YOGURT CAUSES FAN REVOLT: ‘THAT’S WHY I GET OUT OF BED’
Meanwhile, PepsiCo announced last year that it planned to cut its product offerings in the United States by nearly 20% as part of an effort to focus on products with simpler ingredients and functional benefits.
Food stores have reported that more than 20 snacks may be affected, although PepsiCo has not confirmed each product individually.
Some long-time freezer and snack and drink aisle favorites spark nostalgia among shoppers. (iStock)
Recently, a list of likely discontinued items from several major brands was featured in Tasting Table.
OLD-SCHOOL SODA HAS GONE FROM A TOP BRAND TO ALMOST UNFINDABLE
Here are five of the main elements.
Minute Maid Frozen Juice Concentrates
Coca-Cola is discontinuing Minute Maid frozen orange juice, lemonade and lemonade products, which many shoppers remember fondly from their childhood. The company said the move ends its presence in the frozen can category after 80 years.
“My family used to buy these to make popsicles in the summer,” one person wrote on the r/Millennials subreddit. “I can’t believe they’re being interrupted.”
Coca-Cola will remove its Minute Maid brand frozen juice concentrates this year. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“This is devastating. Nothing compares. My comfort drink,” said another.
COCA-COLA QUIETLY REMOVED A REAGAN-ERA DRINK THAT DISAPPEARED FROM STORE SHELVES
Blue Bell Butter Crunch
Blue Bell’s Butter Crunch – vanilla ice cream filled with crunchy chocolate and peanut butter candy pieces – is also gone for now. The company’s own product page states that the flavor is “no longer available.”
“I want them to bring back Butter Crunch so bad,” one Reddit user wrote in a thread focusing on which Blue Bell flavors shoppers want to see return.
2026 grocery releases cover frozen staples, ice cream flavors and chips. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Cheetos Puffs with Cheesy Pizza
Cheetos Puffs Cheese Pizza returned in 2025 after a 20-year hiatus, but food stores reported the flavor was being phased out again.
GENERATION Z ACTIVATES CLASSIC SNACKS, FORCING A MAJOR GROCERY REPLACEMENT: “THEY DON’T TRUST THEM”
The pizza-inspired puffs were among PepsiCo’s cuts, Allrecipes reported.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES
The flavor garnered mixed reviews, with some Reddit users saying it didn’t taste much like pizza, while another said, “I’m addicted to these things.”
Lay’s Sweet Potato Poppables
Lay’s Sweet Potato Poppables are another snack that has reportedly been pulled from shelves as part of PepsiCo’s broader reductions.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
The light, sweet potato-flavored snack no longer appears among the flavors on Lay’s current Poppables page. Reports indicate that the product is one of several discontinued Poppables varieties, although PepsiCo has not confirmed this.
Food companies are streamlining their product lines as consumer tastes continue to evolve. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“This was such a comfort food of mine,” one Reddit user lamented.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Another said his girlfriend’s “heart breaks every time she goes to the store because they don’t carry them anymore.”
Fans took to social media to mourn the abandoned and hard-to-find groceries. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Smartfood Cinema Butter Popcorn
Although some retailers may still have inventory of Smartfood’s Theater Butter Popcorn flavor, fans say the flavor has become harder to find following PepsiCo’s cuts.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Smartfood betrayed me and discontinued their Movie Theater Butter flavor, and I’m a wreck,” one Reddit user wrote.
Gn bussni
