What Pet Food Can Learn from Lay’s 100-Year Rebrand

When a 100-year-old household name like Lay’s decides to overhaul its recipes, packaging, and messaging, it’s a signal. Consumer preferences are changing faster than legacy brands, and even the most iconic companies are learning that trust now depends on transparency, ingredient integrity, and authenticity. 

As consultants in the pet food industry, we see the same transformation happening every day. In addition to shopping for kibble, pet parents are shopping for alignment: products that reflect their values around health, sustainability, and care. 

So, what can the pet food industry learn from Lay’s bold rebrand after nearly a century on the shelf? 

Transparency Is the New Tradition 

The Lay’s rebrand centers on its most fundamental truth: real potatoes. The new packaging and messaging highlight the product's source and simplicity, fostering trust through transparency. 

In pet food, the same principle applies. Brands that emphasize the origin of their ingredients, how they’re handled, and why they’re chosen are building a powerful new kind of loyalty. Pet owners want transparency in labeling, ingredient sourcing and processing. 

Brands can modernize without losing heritage by sharing their formulation stories. Ingredient storytelling, when backed by data and authenticity, bridges the gap between science and consumer understanding. 

Clean Labels Are Redefining ‘Premium’ 

Lay’s announced that it would remove artificial colors and flavors from its entire product line. This move recognizes that “cleaner” no longer means “niche.” The clean label movement, once limited to health-conscious or natural food brands, has gone fully mainstream. Consumers across income levels and demographics are reading ingredient lists, scrutinizing additives, and equating “no artificial ingredients” with higher quality. For many, the absence of synthetic colors or flavors isn’t just about health — it’s about authenticity and brand integrity. 

The same shift has already reached pet food. Pet parents are scrutinizing ingredient panels the way they read nutrition facts for themselves. Additives, preservatives, and artificial dyes that once were tolerated now signal mistrust. According to data by ADM, “85% of pet parents throughout the globe believe that proper nutrition and supplements are just as important for pets as they are for themselves, speaking to continued humanization.” 

Reformulation to keep up with consumer trends and expectations can’t be an afterthought. Successful pet brands treat it as an opportunity to strengthen identity, pairing simplified ingredient lists with clear communication about what’s changed and why. 

Visual Identity Matters More Than Ever 

The Lay’s rebrand didn’t just change what’s in the bag; it changed how the bag feels. The new matte finishes and simplified visuals convey a modern, grounded confidence. 

Pet food brands face similar shelf pressures. Amidst bold claims and crowded packaging, clarity and calmness communicate confidence. Consumers associate clean design with clean ingredients.  

Align visual identity with your nutritional philosophy. The most effective redesigns happen when R&D, regulatory, and marketing collaborate early, ensuring that what’s on the package truly reflects what’s in the product. 

Heritage + Innovation = Trust 

One of the smartest aspects of the Lay’s rebrand is what it didn’t change. The familiar sunburst logo remains, honoring brand heritage while refreshing its purpose. 

The takeaway for pet food companies, especially long-established ones, is simple: evolve your legacy; don’t just abandon it. Pet owners who’ve trusted your brand for decades don’t need you to reinvent yourself. They need reassurance that you’re adapting responsibly, modernizing ingredients, sustainability practices, and communication without losing reliability, safety, or quality. 

Rebranding Is Not Always Cosmetic-It’s Strategic 

When Lay’s rolled out its new packaging, it also rethought formulations, messaging, and quality standards in tandem. That’s what gives the rebrand credibility. 

Reformulation to keep up with consumer trends and expectations can’t be an afterthought. Successful pet brands treat it as an opportunity to strengthen identity, pairing high-quality, recognizable ingredients with clear communication about what’s changed and why. The industry has seen its share of rebrands that stopped at the label, a prime example being Cracker Barrel’s attempt to update its logo to reach younger audiences, which ironically left both new and loyal customers confused and alienated.  

A true rebrand in pet food doesn’t just change the packaging or the tagline; it aligns science (ingredient formulation), supply chain (sourcing, transparency), and storytelling (why the change matters). Whether you’re updating your oil blend, verifying sustainability claims, or clarifying nutritional messaging, every department plays a role in shaping brand integrity. 

The Bigger Picture: Building Brands That Endure 

At BSM Partners, we help pet food brands navigate this balance, pairing scientific credibility with emotional connection. Whether you’re reformulating a legacy line or launching a clean-label newcomer, the key isn’t simply to change; it’s to change with purpose. 

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About the Author

Lee Ann Hagerty is Director of Customer Enrichment and Consumer Insights on the BSM Product Innovation team with 29+ years in the pet food industry, working for Iams/Eukanuba, Procter & Gamble, and Mars Pet Care. She brings a unique combination of project management skills with consumer insights, product design, animal nutrition, and sensory science which drives an in-depth understanding of the pet and consumer. Lee Ann has a passion for helping dogs. Over the last year and a half, she has fostered over 22 dogs. Many of them were senior dogs who had lived their entire lives outside as hunting dogs. She has been a foster pet parent for many years, and it brings her great joy to see these pets find fur-ever homes where they live with families indoors with love and care.