High-protein Cheetos? Doritos with added fiber?

The snack and beverage giant PepsiCo said it planned to offer healthier, or cleaner, versions of some of the company’s popular chip and drink brands and add protein or fiber to them, which consumers are increasingly seeking, executives told Wall Street analysts and investors on an earnings call on Thursday morning.

“Protein is clearly a sub-segment in the food and beverage category that is growing fast,” Ramon Laguarta, the chief executive of PepsiCo, said. “Consumers are adopting protein solutions in their diet at a pace that was not the case a few months or years back. We’re trying to offer the consumer solutions. Not small solutions, but big solutions with some of our big brands.”

The company didn’t offer specifics on which snacks or beverages might be made with additional protein or fiber, but hinted they would most likely first appear in some beverages and Quaker snacks. It said it was in the midst of relaunching two of its big brands, Lay’s and Tostitos, with no artificial colors or flavors by the end of this year.

PepsiCo also plans to introduce a line of Cheetos and Doritos with no artificial colors or flavors in the future, the company said. The company highlighted the success it has seen globally in its sugar-free colas and other beverages.

The heightened focus on healthier or more functional snacks and beverages comes as consumers are increasingly seeking out those types of products and as the Trump Administration is applying pressure on companies to move away from artificial colors and toward more natural ingredients.

Late Wednesday, President Trump posted on social media that Coca-Cola had agreed to switch to real cane sugar in its drinks sold in the United States. Coke, which currently sweetens its beverages in the United States largely with high-fructose corn syrup, did not say whether it had agreed to the change or not.

PepsiCo, like other packaged goods companies, also continues to see consumers simply buy less of its legacy products.

Revenue at PepsiCo rose 1 percent from a year ago to $22.7 billion in the quarter ending June 14, the company reported. Net income fell 59 percent to $1.26 billion, largely because of a write-down in assets, including the value of Rockstar Energy Drink, which the company acquired in 2020.

Globally, demand for its snacks and drinks fell 2 percent.

At midday trading, PepsiCo’s stock was up 6.8 percent at $144.55.

In response to the declining volumes, the company said it had laid off some employees and closed two plants. In an effort to improve profitability, the company said it was looking for more ways to reduce expenses, cutting travel costs or even third-party contracts. “We’re going after everything,” Jamie Caulfield, the chief financial officer, told analysts.

PepsiCo executives said they hoped they could attract more consumers by highlighting product lines that are more simple, or cleaner, or by adding so-called functionality attributes, like hydration, protein or fiber. Mr. Laguarta said the company was receiving a good response from consumers of its Simply line of snacks. A bag of Simply Lay’s chips contains three ingredients — potatoes, oil and salt — he noted.

Still, some analysts questioned consumer demand around healthier options. One analyst said that the company already had healthier brands like SunChips and PopCorners that combined made up about $2 billion a year in revenue. That’s small compared with the $24.7 billion in sales that the company’s Frito-Lay North America business, which includes brands like Doritos, Cheetos and Lay’s, brought in last year.

PepsiCo said consumers were also looking for help around portion control, and that’s where its smaller bags of chips or multi-packs will come in. “The food business in a smaller format, that will continue to grow,” Mr. Laguarta said. “I think it’s a great way for our brands to participate in a healthy diet.”