PepsiCo is pushing Gatorade into new territory. New packaging, reformulated drinks, and a product built for long flights and desk jobs rather than the gym are all coming this year.
The company is calling it the Gatorade Advanced Hydration System. Products will be grouped around whether they hydrate better, faster, or longer than water. The new packaging with benefit-focused labeling will start appearing on shelves in the coming weeks.
Chasing the ‘everyday’ consumer
Two new products are part of the rollout. Gatorade Lower Sugar is already on shelves, featuring 75% less sugar than the original Thirst Quencher and containing no artificial flavors, sweeteners, or colors.
Gatorlyte Longer Lasting will arrive later this year as a trial rollout, using a glycerin and electrolyte blend designed to help the body hold onto fluid for extended periods, with wider availability planned for 2027.
It’s worth noting that FD&C artificial colors are being phased out across parts of its lineup. The full powder stick portfolio will switch first, with the change rolling out this spring. By fall, Fruit Punch, Lemon Lime, and Orange in both Thirst Quencher and Gatorade Zero will get colors from fruits and vegetables instead of synthetic dyes.
Mike Del Pozzo, president of PepsiCo Beverages U.S., was pretty direct about the competitive pressure behind all this.
“150 new brands have entered the space in the last few years,” he told the Associated Press. “Some that are coming in are building on the science that we created. And we’re like, ‘Well, geez, we should be doing that. We should be talking more overtly about the science and the business and why we believe we’re future-forward,” he noted.
PepsiCo is responding to this pressure by broadening Gatorade’s appeal to non-athletes who already account for 60% of sports drink purchases, according to global market research firm Mintel. Meanwhile, the powdered mix segment was up nearly 20% in the year ending March 22. PepsiCo is simply following the money.