PepsiCo Developing Snacks Designed & Packaged Specifically for Women

PURCHASE, N.Y. — Acknowledging that gender may determine how men and women go about snacking, PepsiCo may soon be releasing snacks for women, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi revealed.

As Today reported, in a recent Freakonomics interview, the CEO said that PepsiCo recognized that there can be a gender divide when it comes to snacking preferences. Using Doritos as an example, she explained:

"As you watch a lot of the young guys eat the chips, they love their Doritos, and they lick their fingers with great glee, and when they reach the bottom of the bag they pour the little broken pieces into their mouth," Nooyi noted. "Women would love to do the same, but they don’t. They don’t like to crunch too loudly in public. And they don’t lick their fingers generously and they don’t like to pour the little broken pieces and the flavor into their mouth."

According to the PepsiCo exec, the company is looking into how snacks can be tailored, marketed and packaged differently for women. "It’s not a male and female as much as 'are there snacks for women that can be designed and packaged differently?'" she said.

Nooyi said that PepsiCo is looking into products for women that have a "low-crunch" while still maintaining a "full taste profile," without leaving a lot of flavor residue on the fingers — as well as packaging that's handbag-friendly, Today reported.

“How can you put it in a purse? Because women love to carry a snack in their purse,” she posed.

A representative from PepsiCo declined to comment on the record about Nooyi's statements, according to the news outlet.

Although no new gender-specific snacks have been announced, the CEO alluded that some treats tailored to female snackers could be coming soon.

“We are looking at it. We’re getting ready to launch a bunch of them soon,” she concluded.

Purchase-based PepsiCo is parent company to snack brands like Lays, Cheetos, Doritos, Ruffles and Fritos.