PepsiCo Recalls Over 122,000 Cases Due to Missing Label Information — What Shoppers Should Check Before Drinking

A bottle that looks completely ordinary can be easy to toss into a shopping cart without a second thought. But PepsiCo is now recalling more than 122,000 cases, and the biggest surprise is which familiar drink those cases contain.

PepsiCo said in 2026 that its food and beverage portfolio is consumed more than 1 billion times a day across more than 200 countries and territories, making even a limited labeling issue notable at this scale. | Source: Getty Images

It Started With Something Most Shoppers Would Never Notice

PepsiCo voluntarily began the recall on September 25 after discovering a labeling discrepancy involving 28-ounce bottles. The FDA later classified the action as Class II on October 2, while no illnesses have been reported.

A large beverage production line shows the scale behind modern drink manufacturing, where production dates and lot codes are used to trace specific batches when a recall is issued. | Source: Getty Images

The voluntary action covers 122,021 cases from the affected production runs nationwide. These were not bottles pulled because of a new recipe or an unexpected object inside — the problem was sitting quietly on the ingredient panel.

PepsiCo describes the issue as a “label discrepancy”. Certain bottles contained Yellow No. 5 and/or Yellow No. 6, but those colors were not declared where shoppers would expect to find them.

Synthetic food dyes such as Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 are used to give packaged foods and drinks consistent, recognizable colors — the 2 additives at the center of PepsiCo’s current recall. | Source: Getty Images

For someone who regularly flips a bottle around and checks the ingredients — whether for herself or for someone in her family — that missing line matters. And the FDA's classification makes clear that this was more than a cosmetic typo.

A shopper can check a product carefully and still have no way of knowing Yellow No. 5 or Yellow No. 6 is inside if the dyes are missing from the ingredient label. | Source: Getty Images

The Bottle Looked the Same

A Class II recall is not the FDA's highest-risk category, but it is not meaningless either. The designation covers situations where exposure could cause temporary or medically reversible effects, while the chance of serious consequences is considered remote.

The important point here is simple: the colors were already inside the drink. The issue was that a person reading the label would not necessarily know they were there.

A Class II designation sits below the FDA's most serious recall level and is used when serious health consequences are considered remote rather than expected. | Source: Getty Images

That difference becomes especially relevant for people who deliberately avoid certain synthetic colors. A shopper cannot make that choice if the ingredient she is trying to avoid never appears on the label.

PepsiCo has also said the action applies only to specific 28-ounce products and production codes, rather than everything made under the still-unrevealed brand. But the timing of the mistake makes the story considerably more awkward.

PepsiCo’s products move through large-scale production lines before reaching stores, making accurate labels and production codes essential for tracing specific batches when a recall is issued. | Source: Getty Images

PepsiCo Had Made a Very Different Promise

In April 2025, federal health officials announced plans to move the U.S. food supply away from several synthetic dyes by the end of 2026, relying heavily on cooperation from manufacturers. Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 were among the colors being targeted in that planned phaseout.

Powdered color additives like these show how small amounts of pigment can give foods and drinks their familiar bright shades — which is why missing dye information on a label can matter to shoppers trying to avoid specific additives. | Source: Getty Images

That debate had already pushed artificial colors into the kind of conversation many families now have while standing in supermarket aisles. Suddenly, words that once disappeared into the back of an ingredient list were becoming something shoppers actively looked for.

PepsiCo was moving in the same direction. In fact, months before this recall, it announced that the brand at the center of this story was entering a major makeover of both its formula and its packaging.

PepsiCo's 2026 beverage changes were announced from its home base in Purchase, New York, as the company prepared new formulas and redesigned packaging for one of its biggest drink brands. | Source: Getty Images

The company promised clearer information on the package so people could understand its products more easily. Its language went even further: the goal was to help shoppers “choose products with confidence”.

At the same time, PepsiCo was preparing to remove FD&C artificial colors from several of that brand's best-selling bottled drinks. That is where a labeling mistake involving Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 stops looking like ordinary bad timing — and where the name on the recalled bottle finally comes into view.

Supermarket shelves can make familiar drinks feel routine, but when a recall is tied to labeling, shoppers may need to look past the front of the bottle and check the ingredient list and production details carefully. | Source: Getty Images

The Product Millions Know Is Finally Revealed

The 122,021 recalled cases contain Gatorade, specifically 28-ounce bottles of Gatorade Lemon Lime, Gatorade Zero Lemon Lime, Gatorade Orange, and Gatorade Orange Zero. These are not obscure flavors tucked away in one corner of the brand's catalog.

Fruit Punch was also included in Gatorade's planned move away from FD&C colors in 2026, but Fruit Punch is not among the flavors named in this recall. | Source: FDA

The Lemon Lime versions contained undeclared Yellow No. 5, while the Orange versions contained undeclared Yellow No. 6. PepsiCo says no other Gatorade products are included in this action beyond the specified flavors, sizes, and production codes.

PepsiCo announced those color changes months before this recall. Lemon Lime and Orange were among the very flavors PepsiCo had already chosen for its next wave of color changes.

The Gatorade logo is one of PepsiCo’s most recognizable beverage marks, and the current recall affects only specific 28-ounce Lemon Lime and Orange varieties — not the entire brand. | Source: Getty Images

Earlier in 2026, PepsiCo said Fruit Punch, Lemon Lime, and Orange would move away from artificial dyes in both regular and Zero versions. The redesigned drinks were expected to roll out in the fourth quarter, putting this recall right in the middle of that transition.

In other words, the dyes being omitted from these labels were already on their way out of the recipes. PepsiCo was preparing plant-based colors for some of its biggest flavors while recalling older bottles because the existing synthetic colors had not been listed properly.

Shoppers often reach for familiar drinks without a second thought, but a recall tied to labeling means the safest choice starts with checking the bottle itself — not just the brand name on the shelf. | Source: Getty Images

That overlap was also highlighted as the recall spread nationally: the company was effectively phasing out the same dyes now at the center of the labeling problem. But the next number shows just how far those bottles had already traveled.

The Recall Reached Across the Country

The recall was not confined to one region or a small test market. The federal enforcement record shows that affected cases were distributed across 37 states.

Those states are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. That stretches from Hawaii and Alaska to Florida, New York, California, and dozens of places in between.

The action does not cover every bottle of Gatorade on store shelves; shoppers need to match the 28-ounce size, flavor, date, and production code before assuming a bottle is included. | Source: FDA

For shoppers, that broad map is why simply thinking, “I probably don't live where this happened,” is not a useful shortcut. Many of the country's largest states and retail markets appear on the distribution list.

The recall remains ongoing, and the FDA classified it on October 2 after PepsiCo initiated the action itself. A report on the enforcement action also noted something unusual for a recall that quickly attracted national attention: no separate press release was listed in the FDA report.

PepsiCo later posted a consumer notice identifying the affected Gatorade bottles, but the FDA enforcement report did not list a separate company press release when the recall action became public. | Source: Getty Images

There is now a consumer-facing recall notice from the brand, but PepsiCo has not publicly explained exactly how the ingredient information disappeared from those labels. And that silence leaves the company's earlier packaging promises hanging rather awkwardly in the background.

A Promise Made Before the Recall

PepsiCo's April Gatorade refresh was not only about changing the color of the drink. The company said the new era would include a refreshed label design and clearer benefit messaging to make the shelf easier for shoppers to navigate.

That language sounds particularly striking several months later. A company talking about helping people understand products at a glance is now dealing with bottles where 2 color additives were present but absent from the ingredient panel.

Gatorade's 2026 makeover was broader than a color change; PepsiCo also announced a new package identity and an “Advanced Hydration System” designed to make differences between products easier to understand. | Source: Getty Images

PepsiCo had also described its artificial-color changes as a journey shaped by what consumers said they wanted — and did not want — in their drinks. Lemon Lime and Orange were scheduled to switch to colors from fruits and vegetables later in fall 2026.

The awkward overlap is difficult to ignore: the company was preparing to stop using these artificial colors in some of the very drinks now being pulled because those colors were not declared. Still, that does not mean every Lemon Lime or Orange bottle belongs in the recall pile.

This shelf image shows a 32-ounce Gatorade Lower Sugar Orange bottle alongside other varieties — a useful contrast because the current recall is limited to selected 28-ounce bottles, making package size one of the quickest ways shoppers can rule products out. | Source: Getty Images

The Answer Is Hidden in the Small Print

If you have Gatorade at home, the first thing to check is the size. The recall covers 28-ounce bottles, so a different bottle size is not included simply because the flavor name matches.

Next comes the exact flavor: Gatorade Lemon Lime, Gatorade Zero Lemon Lime, Gatorade Orange, or Gatorade Orange Zero. After that, shoppers should compare both the Best Taste Date and the production code printed on the bottle.

Both regular and Zero versions are involved, which means checking only the flavor color is not enough; the production information on the package is what separates recalled bottles from unaffected ones. | Source: Getty Images

The affected combinations listed by PepsiCo are:

• Gatorade Lemon Lime 28 oz: JUN 07 27 — DL 091026; JUN 08 27 — DL 091126
• Gatorade Zero Lemon Lime 28 oz: APR 18 27 — DT 072226; APR 20 27 — TL 072426; APR 27 27 — TL 073126
• Gatorade Orange 28 oz: APR 18 27 — OA 082126; APR 18 27 — OA 082326; APR 25 27 — TL 072926; APR 25 27 — TL 073026; MAY 07 27 — TL 081026
• Gatorade Orange Zero 28 oz: APR 23 27 — TL 072726; APR 28 27 — DL 080126; MAY 17 27 — DL 082026; MAY 22 27 — KM 082526; JUN 01 27 — KM 090426; JUN 07 27 — DT 083126

This recall guide shows the exact 28-ounce Gatorade varieties, Best Taste Dates, and production codes shoppers need to match before deciding whether a bottle is affected. | Source: FDA

That is a lot of tiny print, especially on something most people buy because they already know exactly what it is. But matching the production code is the difference between identifying a recalled bottle and unnecessarily worrying about every Gatorade in the refrigerator.

The company says the recall is limited to those specific products and codes. So if your bottle has the same flavor but a different size, date, or production code, it is not automatically part of this action.

This multipack contains 20-ounce Gatorade bottles, showing why flavor alone is not enough to identify a recalled product — the current action is limited to specified 28-ounce bottles with matching dates and production codes. | Source: Getty Images

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What Shoppers Still Don’t Know

As coverage of the recall grew, another practical question appeared: what should someone do after finding a matching bottle? Information about whether customers would receive refunds was still not clearly established when the recall first became public.

That uncertainty is worth separating from the safety information itself. The recall notice identifies what is affected, but shoppers looking for return or refund details may need to check directly with the retailer or PepsiCo as the action continues.

PepsiCo has said that sport remains the foundation of the Gatorade brand, even as the company expands its hydration products toward more everyday uses and occasions. | Source: Getty Images

There is also one reassuring detail that should not disappear beneath the size of the number: no illnesses have been reported in connection with this recall. The reason for the action is the missing declaration of Yellow No. 5 and/or Yellow No. 6, not a reported outbreak of illness.

Still, labels are there so the person holding a product knows what she is buying. When an ingredient that matters to some consumers is inside the bottle but missing from the package, checking the fine print becomes more than a habit.

Gatorade’s bright color palette has long helped shoppers distinguish flavors at a glance, making color one of the brand’s most recognizable visual cues on store shelves. | Source: Getty Images

The Final Detail Shoppers Should Remember

For shoppers, the lasting issue in this recall is not the color of the drink or the size of the number attached to the action. It is the trust placed in the label itself, especially when the product is so familiar that most people would never think to question what is printed on the bottle.

That trust matters even more when someone is shopping for a child, a spouse, an older relative, or anyone who avoids certain ingredients. Most people do not expect to investigate a product they have bought many times before; they expect the ingredient list to give them the information they need.

On crowded store shelves, shoppers often have only the package in front of them to decide what they are buying, which is why accurate ingredient information matters even when a product looks completely normal and familiar. | Source: Getty Images

That is what makes a labeling problem so easy to miss. A bottle does not have to look damaged, taste different, or show any obvious sign that something is wrong for the information on the package to be incomplete.

The recalled lots will eventually leave store shelves, but the expectation behind them is much broader than this one case. When a product reaches a consumer’s hands, the label should clearly and completely reflect what is inside — without leaving the shopper to discover the difference later.