PepsiCo Foods U.S. is adding Tostitos SCOOPS! Hint of Lime Flavored Tortilla Chips to its permanent lineup, with a nationwide retail rollout beginning in late December 2026 — timed to coincide with NFL playoff season. The SKU pairs the brand's highest-velocity flavor with its top-selling chip shape, according to Circana Unify+ multi-outlet data for the 52 weeks ending October 25, 2026.
For c-store buyers, the timing matters. Salty snacks are a consistent impulse-purchase driver at the forecourt and front-of-store, and playoff season historically lifts party-pack and sharing-size velocity. A permanent placement — rather than a limited-time offering — gives category managers a planogram-stable bet heading into Q1.
The Consumer Hook
A PepsiCo-commissioned online survey of 1,000 nationally representative Americans found that 78% of respondents consider chips and dip essential to a football watch party. SCOOPS! Hint of Lime is positioned squarely at that occasion: the bowl-shaped chip is designed to hold dip, and the lime seasoning adds a flavor contrast that pairs with salsas, quesos, and guacamoles commonly cross-merchandised in refrigerated and ambient dip sets.
"Our fans told us exactly what they wanted, and we listened," said Denise Truelove, Senior Vice President of Marketing, PepsiCo Foods U.S. "Whether it's game day or just another Tuesday night, the latest offering from Tostitos is another way our brand is bringing people to the table and keeping them gathering a little longer."
PepsiCo chefs developed a set of dip recipes — including Whipped Queso Fresco, Black Bean Enchilada Dip, and Chicken Tinga — to support the launch, giving retail partners social and in-store content to drive basket attachment with refrigerated dips.
C-Store Category Angle
Salty snacks remain one of the stronger inside-sales performers in the convenience channel. Cross-merchandising chips with refrigerated dips or dispensed beverage promotions around sporting events has proven effective for regional and national chains alike. The SCOOPS! format — already a planogram staple — reduces buyer risk on a new flavor introduction since the form factor is proven. Operators running grab-and-go snack sets or end-cap displays ahead of the January playoffs should factor this SKU into reset planning given the late-December ship date.
Tostitos holds the NFL's Official Chip & Dip Sponsor designation, which typically activates at the point of sale through co-branded POS materials — an incremental traffic driver chains can request through their PepsiCo route or DSD rep ahead of the playoff window.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
