Published on April 4, 2026
Last year, PepsiCo started printing real potatoes onto every bag of Lay’s. The reason? In a world where people are increasingly concerned about the provenance of their food, 42% of the population didn’t realize that the world’s most popular potato chip was made from potatoes.
Now, the company is updating Tostitos bags—the most popular plain tortilla chip in the world—with a similar strategy. While Lay’s got a dose of potatoes, Tostitos bags feature corn.
“We started honest with ourselves. The research was telling us that the old packaging wasn’t working—it was actually reinforcing a lot of the wrong perceptions,” writes Hernán Tantardini, CMO of PepsiCo Foods, over email. “People saw Tostitos as a party brand. The quality and craft story wasn’t coming through at all.”
Technically speaking, Tostitos are classified as an ultra-processed food due to their use of refined seed oils. However, they still feature a simple ingredient list: corn, oil, and salt. With 71% of consumers reading labels more closely than before, the front of the bag serves as a gateway to the information often found on the back.
The bags previously boasted “no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.” This new design now emphasizes “Masa made in the traditional way,” sidelining previous messaging. The result repositions Tostitos as an authentic and culturally rooted product, emphasizing traditional methods of preparation which signals quality and heritage.
For the depiction of corn, PepsiCo chose illustration as opposed to photography, connecting the product to the traditional masa production process known as nixtamalization. This process treats corn with lime, enhancing its digestibility and nutritional value for various Mexican dishes.
“We looked at photography, but the more we explored it, the more it felt like it belonged to a different brand,” says Tantardini. “Tostitos has this warmth—this sense of joy and togetherness that’s been part of its DNA forever. Photography felt too polished, too literal. It would’ve flattened something that’s actually quite live.”
The illustrations boast an imperfect, hand-painted feel, subtly conveying a human touch beneath the modern Tostitos wordmark. While some may wish for even more traditional artistic elements, such as xilografía or woodblock printing, the updated designs for the Scoops and Street Corn varieties are visually appealing for a mainstream snack.
Even though many colors remain technically similar between old and new packaging, the updated hues are softer and intended to convey warmth through earth tones.
The new design does not convey a sense of apology for indulgence; rather, the bags maintain a celebratory tone. A playful twist on the design features a front window that reveals the actual chips through the bag, now dipped directly into a large bowl of salsa or guacamole, as opposed to the overly commercialized photorealistic jar of Tostitos salsa seen in the previous version.
This strategic redesign may help Tostitos, which has seen some decline in sales volume since price increases in 2022/2023, compete with smaller batch brands that have encroached on its market share. The approach has been validated in consumer tests, and a wider rollout will be seen in the coming months.
“From a business perspective, this is really about changing perception where it matters most,” Tantardini explains. “If we can use packaging to clearly signal craft, quality, and care, we can rebuild confidence in the brand and lower the barrier for people who’ve drifted away because they didn’t realize the craft and care that goes into our chips and dips. That’s the opportunity. And that’s what we designed for.”
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