PepsiCo Recalls Over 122,000 Cases Of Gatorade Over Unlisted Ingredients
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On Oct. 2, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a classification for a recall that PepsiCo initiated one week earlier.
The recall impacts over 122,000 cases of Gatorade, and it was issued for a unique reason.
Each bottle within these cases was recalled because the ingredient list on the label failed to include two of its petroleum-based dyes that give certain flavors of Gatorade its color: namely Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6.
This recall comes as PepsiCo is actively working to be in compliance with HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy’s national push to ban artificial dyes from the American food supply.
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Which Gatorade Products Were Recalled?
Back on Sept. 25, PepsiCo initiated a recall on approximately 122,021 cases of 28 oz bottles of Gatorade.
Retailers show that a case of 28 oz Gatorade products holds approximately 15 bottles, amounting to approximately 1,830,315 bottles recalled.
Flavors included in this recall are Gatorade Lemon Lime, Gatorade Lemon Lime Zero, Gatorade Orange, and Gatorade Orange Zero — all of which include Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 to achieve its color.
Interestingly, the FDA gave this recall a Class II recall classification, which means that it “may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”
Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 are still present in many Gatorade products, but PepsiCo will soon be removing the petroleum-based dyes from the ingredients of the popular sports drink.
PepsiCo, which also produces Cheetos and Doritos, has made a pledge to the FDA to remove artificial dyes from its Gatorade products by the fall of 2026.
On the FDA website, PepsiCo’s status of compliance with the rollout of the nationwide ban on artificial and synthetic dyes in the American food supply is listed as “in progress” regarding Gatorade.
Still, this step has already been taken by PepsiCo through the launch of its Simply NKD line of Doritos and Cheetos, which feature no artificial flavors or dyes, giving them a largely colorless aesthetic.
The Simply NKD Doritos and Cheetos are offered as an alternative to the normal colored versions of these snacks, which are still for sale.
“No color, no artificial flavors, same intensity — that’s Simply NKD,” said Hernán Tantardini, CMO of PepsiCo Foods U.S., in a 2025 press release. “Doritos and Cheetos are pioneering a snacking revolution, or a renaissance, if you will.”
He added, “We are reinventing our iconic — and most famous — brands to deliver options with the bold flavors fans know and love, now reimagined without any colors or artificial flavors.”
HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, at a press conference on April 22, 2025, to announce the rollout of the nationwide ban on artificial dyes.
This was announced in keeping with the Make America Healthy Again movement, which came about when RFK Jr. endorsed President Donald Trump for president on the campaign trail in 2024.
At the 2025 press conference, Makary said of the upcoming nationwide ban on artificial dyes:
“America’s children are sick. There’s no one ingredient that accounts for the child chronic disease epidemic, and, let’s be honest, taking petroleum-based food dyes out of the food supply is not a silver bullet that will instantly make America’s children healthy.”
Expounding on this decision to remove artificial dyes from American food, Makary said the removal of the petroleum-based dyes is “one important step” to a healthier future.
Looking to the Sept. 25 recall of the 122,021 cases of 28 oz Gatorades, these products with the missing ingredient label noting the presence of Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 were distributed to 37 states.
The following states received shipments of the recalled Gatorade drinks:
- Alaska;
- Alabama;
- Arkansas;
- Arizona;
- California;
- Colorado;
- Florida;
- Georgia;
- Hawaii;
- Iowa;
- Idaho;
- Illinois;
- Indiana;
- Kansas;
- Kentucky;
- Louisiana;
- Michigan;
- Minnesota;
- Missouri;
- Mississippi;
- North Carolina;
- North Dakota;
- Nebraska;
- New Jersey;
- New Mexico;
- Nevada;
- New York;
- Ohio;
- Oklahoma;
- Pennsylvania;
- South Carolina;
- South Dakota;
- Tennessee;
- Texas;
- Utah;
- Washington; and
- Wisconsin.
The recall number regarding this PepsiCo recall of Gatorade is H-0009-2027, and additional information on the recall may be accessed at the FDA’s website, here.
This is a developing story.
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