PepsiCo debuts Cheetos Mac ‘n Cheese line

PepsiCo has introduced a line of packaged macaroni-and-cheese products tied to its Cheetos snack food brand.

The Cheetos Mac ”˜n Cheese line has three flavors ”“ Bold & Cheesy, Flamin’ Hot and Cheesy Jalapeño ”“ that feature cartoon “spokescat” Chester Cheetah on the packaging. The company, in an unapologetically cheesy press release, said the new products were “made with authentic Cheetos cheesiness using Chester’s Top-Secret Seasoning (and) the corkscrew pasta noodles are even inspired by Chester’s cheetah tail.”

“We’ve seen incredible culinary creativity from our Cheetos fans through the years, taking our product and using as an actual ingredient in recipes, whether at restaurants or, now more than ever, at home,” said Rachel Ferdinando, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Frito-Lay North America, a division of Purchase-headquartered PepsiCo.

“Cheetos Mac ‘n Cheese borrows that culinary inspiration to provide a mischievous mashup of an ordinary fan favorite. We’re putting our orange-dusted fingerprints on an at-home staple at a time when home mealtime occasions are on the rise.”

The product line is available in a single box and cup format at Walmart stores nationally or online for a suggested retail price of 98 cents, with a wider retail availability scheduled for 2021.