Coke and KFC shake up the world of fast food and soda

Hello there, Snackology fans. Welcome to the October 2026 edition of Snack Chat. We’re just days away from the biggest candy night of the year. Have you bought your Boo Buckets? Stocked your snacks?

The biggest story of October was seismic news that KFC was switching from Pepsi products to Coca-Cola products beginning in 2027. The concept that KFC, a chain once owned by Pepsi, could walk away from Pepsi was a sign that the soda wars had dramatically shifted.

“This exciting new partnership brings Coca‑Cola and KFC together across the U.S. for the very first time,” Dagmar Boggs, an executive at The Coca‑Cola Company, said in the announcement. “By pairing KFC’s iconic food and flavors with the breadth of Coca‑Cola’s beverage portfolio and innovation capabilities, we have an incredible opportunity to make every visit more refreshing, create memorable consumer experiences, delight KFC guests, serve KFC Restaurant Teams, and unlock new growth possibilities together.”

PepsiCo soon followed with the announcement that it had renewed its deal with Taco Bell for 11 years, keeping the partnership going through 2036.

“Together, we have co-created products consumers love, from the iconic Mountain Dew Baja Blast to Doritos Locos Tacos,” PepsiCo’s Anne Fink said. “What makes this partnership special is how we bring together Taco Bell’s connection to culture with PepsiCo’s consumer insights, culinary capabilities and beverage expertise to create what’s next. We're excited about what we can build together over the next 11 years.”

Waitaminute, you might be thinking. What does this mean for the combo KFC/Taco Bell locations that are still around? Is Mountain Dew Baja Blast in trouble?

It turns out we’re about to see one of the wildest crossovers in fast food history because those combo locations will be serviced by both Coca-Cola and Pepsi, according to a Snackology scoop. (I wish I could explain what this means for Mountain Dew Sweet Lightning, the flavor that was exclusive to KFC.)

I couldn’t imagine a world where Baja Blast wasn’t available at Taco Bell, but I’m cool being able to get a Coke Zero the next time I buy a chicken sandwich at KFC.

You know what I can imagine, though? Pop-Tarts that taste like Liquid Death.

Fast food

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  • 🍪 REVIEW: Taco Bell and Milk Bar celebrate the Birthday Cake Empanada (Read more)
• Taco Bell and Duolingo Take National Taco Day Global, Uniting Fans Around One Word the World Already Speaks: Taco (PR Newswire): “Introducing Duo Habanero Sauce, an all-new, limited-time sauce created exclusively for the Taco Bell x Duolingo collaboration. Bright and tangy with fruity notes and a kick of habanero heat, the sauce delivers a vibrant balance of flavor and spice that builds with every bite. Bold enough to match its namesake, Duo Habanero isn't one to go unnoticed.”
  • 🍪 REVIEW: The Taco Bell x Duolingo collab makes sense in any language (Read more)
• Disney Villains Boo Buckets Happy Meal (McDonald’s): “Starting Oct. 20, the iconic Disney Villains Boo Buckets Happy Meal are making their way to the Golden Arches with five wickedly collectible designs inspired by Disney’s most notorious scene-stealers. Collect the whole squad featuring: Jafar, Ursula, Scar, Cruella and Maleficent.”
  • 🍪 REVIEW: Disney puts a villainous twist on McDonald’s Boo Buckets (Read more)
• Your first taste of the holidays is here (McDonald’s): “For some fans, the holidays begin when the calendar says so. For others, they start with traditions like the first festive playlist, the first holiday movie, or the first sip of a seasonal bev. That's why McDonald's is giving fans a head start on the holidays with a new lineup of limited-time drinks ...”