Gatorade Changes Its Iconic Recipe in Attempt to Please RFK Jr.

In a stunning pivot, Gatorade is leaving athletes behind for the everyday person.

Developed for elite athletes in the collegiate space initially, Gatorade took over the market with the biggest names in sports downing its beverages. However, this week Gatorade revealed it's changing course.

“One of the biggest misconceptions about hydration is that it only matters for elite athletes or extreme situations,” Damian Browne, SVP of R&D, PepsiCo Beverages U.S. said in a statement. “In reality, mild to moderate dehydration can build gradually across the day for most people, often without realizing it, and thirst is not always a reliable signal.”

Gatorade Changes Iconic Formula

In its announcement, Gatorade also revealed it's changing the iconic formula with lower sugar and no FD&C colors.

Mike Del Pozzo, President, PepsiCo Beverages U.S. said, “By listening to consumers, we’re learning more of what they want and don’t want in their Gatorade. We’re on a journey to remove artificial colors from our product portfolio while maintaining the bold Gatorade color people know and love.”

So what's changing?

Gatorade is offering a new "lower sugar" option that contains no artificial flavors, sweeteners, or colors, and has 75% less sugar than Gatorade Thirst Quencher.

It's also "actively working" to remove artificial colors from Gatorade products.

"Later this spring, the full powder stick portfolio will remove all artificial colors," Gatorade announced. "Later this fall, three of the brand’s top ready-to-drink flavors in Gatorade Thirst Quencher and Gatorade Zero — Fruit Punch, Lemon Lime and Orange— will no longer contain FD&C colors, instead using colors from fruits and vegetables to retain the bold color that consumers expect from Gatorade."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr Comments on Change

The move received applause from United States Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Thank you, @Gatorade, for removing artificial FD&C colors and switching to newly @US_FDA–approved plant-based dyes from fruits and vegetables. I urge every food company to follow your lead and join us to Make America Healthy Again. pic.twitter.com/gfb15XGUyY

— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) April 17, 2026

"Thank you, @Gatorade, for removing artificial FD&C colors and switching to newly @US_FDA–approved plant-based dyes from fruits and vegetables. I urge every food company to follow your lead and join us to Make America Healthy Again," Kennedy said in a message on social media.

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