PURCHASE, N.Y., Nov. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- This holiday season, PepsiCo is offering more limited-time products than ever before to fill consumers' snack and beverage needs at any holiday moment. From entertaining family and friends to holiday grocery shopping, PepsiCo is delivering bold and cheerful holiday flavors that will satisfy everyone in the room. 
 
 New to store shelves for a limited time this holiday season are: Pepsi Salted Caramel, Cheetos Sweetos Holiday Cinnamon Sugar Puffs, Mtn Dew Holiday Brew and Quaker Life Cereal and Chewy Bars in Gingerbread Spice. Also returning this year are seasonal favorites, including Lay's Wavy Potato Chips Dipped in Chocolate, Cap'n Crunch's Christmas Crunch and Cheetos Snowflakes. 
 
 Whether you're snacking solo, hosting overnight guests or entertaining family, PepsiCo has a variety of products to serve and enjoy: 
 
 For a Breakfast That'll Sleigh 
 
 Finding the perfect gift for your friends and family can be tough; choosing what to have for breakfast shouldn't be. 
 
 Starbucks ® Peppermint Mocha Latte – Inspired by a Starbucks seasonal favorite, this limited-time at-home version combines bold, brewed espresso, chilled milk and natural holiday flavors like peppermint and chocolate. Size & SRP: 14 fl. oz.: $2.79 
 
 Inspired by a Starbucks seasonal favorite, this limited-time at-home version combines bold, brewed espresso, chilled milk and natural holiday flavors like peppermint and chocolate. Size & SRP: 14 fl. oz.: Quaker ® Life Cereal and Chewy Bars in Gingerbread Spice – Enjoy these family favorites in a new Gingerbread Spice flavor, perfect to enjoy for a limited time this winter season. Sizes & SRP: Cereal 13 oz.: $3.59 , 18 oz.: $4.49 ; Chewy 8 ct.: $3.29 , 12 ct.: $3.99 
 
 Enjoy these family favorites in a new Gingerbread Spice flavor, perfect to enjoy for a limited time this winter season. Sizes & SRP: Cereal 13 oz.: , 18 oz.: ; Chewy 8 ct.: , 12 ct.: Cap'n Crunch's Christmas Crunch ® – A special, limited-time edition holiday cereal featuring the signature Cap'n Crunch corn pieces, with red and green Crunch Berries in fun holiday-themed shapes. Sizes & SRP: 13 oz.: $3.49 , 18 oz.: $4.29 
 
 A special, limited-time edition holiday cereal featuring the signature Cap'n Crunch corn pieces, with red and green Crunch Berries in fun holiday-themed shapes. Sizes & SRP: 13 oz.: , 18 oz.: Quaker® Life Cereal in Pumpkin Spice – Enjoy family favorite Quaker Life Cereal in seasonal Pumpkin Spice for everyone to enjoy for a limited time this holiday season. Sizes & SRP: Cereal 13 oz.: $3.59 , 18 oz.: $4.49 
 
 For the Merriest Family of Them All 
 
 Mix up your family's holiday traditions by serving snacks and beverages so festive, they'll want to spend the whole night at the holiday dinner table. 
 
 LIFEWTR™ Holiday Gift Set – A limited-time gift set featuring art by LIFEWTR Series 1 artists Craig & Karl, including a specially designed bottle, embossed notebook and felt tip pens. Available online at Amazon.com and Walmart.com beginning later this month. Size & SRP: 1 ltr: $20.00 
 
 – A limited-time gift set featuring art by LIFEWTR Series 1 artists Craig & Karl, including a specially designed bottle, embossed notebook and felt tip pens. Available online at Amazon.com and Walmart.com beginning later this month. Size & SRP: 1 ltr: Mtn Dew ® Holiday Brew – Combining two of Mtn Dew's beloved, original flavors – green Mtn Dew and Mtn Dew Code Red – to get one bold taste of holiday spirit for a limited time only. Sizes & SRP: 20 fl. oz.: $1.89 , 12 pack/12 fl. oz.: $4.99 
 
 – Combining two of Mtn Dew's beloved, original flavors – green Mtn Dew and Mtn Dew Code Red – to get one bold taste of holiday spirit for a limited time only. Sizes & SRP: 20 fl. oz.: , 12 pack/12 fl. oz.: Cheetos ® Sweetos ® Holiday Cinnamon Sugar Puffs – The fan-favorite snack puff is now available in a limited-time holiday shape to satisfy the family's sweet tooth. Sizes & SRP: 2.625 oz.: $1.49 , 7 oz.: $3.49 
 
 – The fan-favorite snack puff is now available in a limited-time holiday shape to satisfy the family's sweet tooth. Sizes & SRP: 2.625 oz.: , 7 oz.: Cheetos ® Snowflakes – Delicious white cheddar taste in four festive snowflake shapes, perfect to bring a little cheese into your holidays for a limited time. Sizes & SRP: 2.625 oz.: $1.49 , 7 oz.: $3.49 
 
 Delicious white cheddar taste in four festive snowflake shapes, perfect to bring a little cheese into your holidays for a limited time. Sizes & SRP: 2.625 oz.: , 7 oz.: Stacy's® Cinnamon Sugar Flavored Pita Chips – A favorite flavor during the holidays, these cinnamon sugar pita chips are a delicious sweet treat to enjoy on their own, with a festive dip or a cup of coffee. Sizes & SRP: 7 oz.: $2.82 , 8 oz.: $5.84 
 
 Mix & Mingle Hosting Friends, Family or Colleagues 
 
 When you're entertaining, pick up limited-time holiday treats so you can spend more time with your guests. 
 
 Pepsi ® Salted Caramel – An indulgent new, limited-time flavor which blends the refreshing taste of cola with a delicious caramel finish. Size & SRP: 20 fl. oz.: $1.79 
 
 – An indulgent new, limited-time flavor which blends the refreshing taste of cola with a delicious caramel finish. Size & SRP: 20 fl. oz.: Pepsi ® and Mtn Dew Holiday Multi-Packs – Make your party prep easy with holiday-themed graphics and free coupons inside of specially marked multi-packs of Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Zero Sugar, Pepsi Wild Cherry, Mtn Dew and Diet Mtn Dew for a limited time only. Sizes & SRP: 24 pack/12 fl. oz.: $7.99 , 36 pack/12 fl. oz.: $10.49 
 
 – Make your party prep easy with holiday-themed graphics and free coupons inside of specially marked multi-packs of Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Zero Sugar, Pepsi Wild Cherry, Mtn Dew and Diet Mtn Dew for a limited time only. Sizes & SRP: 24 pack/12 fl. oz.: , 36 pack/12 fl. oz.: IZZE ® Cranberry Orange Spice – With the sweet, sparkly taste of limited-time IZZE Cranberry Orange Spice, every moment is worth celebrating this holiday season. Sizes & SRP: Costco Holiday Pack (Cranberry Orange Spice, Apple, Pomegranate) 4 pack/12 fl. oz.: $4.99 , 8 pack/12 fl. oz.: $10.99 
 
 – With the sweet, sparkly taste of limited-time IZZE Cranberry Orange Spice, every moment is worth celebrating this holiday season. Sizes & SRP: Costco Holiday Pack (Cranberry Orange Spice, Apple, Pomegranate) 4 pack/12 fl. oz.: , 8 pack/12 fl. oz.: Rold Gold ® Dipped Pretzels – Available for a limited time, Classic or Peppermint flavor options provide an indulgent and creative solution to spice up holiday entertaining and snacking. Size & SRP: 8.5 oz.: $3.99 
 
 – Available for a limited time, Classic or Peppermint flavor options provide an indulgent and creative solution to spice up holiday entertaining and snacking. Size & SRP: 8.5 oz.: Lay's® Wavy Dipped in Chocolate – Chocolate-dipped potato chips are an irresistibly perfect mix of salty and sweet to serve to family and friends for a limited time this holiday season. Size & SRP: 5 oz.: $3.99 
 
 About PepsiCo 
 
 PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated approximately $63 billion in net revenue in 2016, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales. 
 
 At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth and shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit http://www.pepsico.com. 
 
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 In Japan, Christmas is typically celebrated with a cake. Pepsi is celebrating it with a limited edition release called “Christmas Cola.” 
 
 
 
 Japanese Christmas cakes are sponge cakes covered with whipped cream and filled with strawberries. They are good. 
 
 A few years back, Pepsi released a white Pepsi, but this latest one is cake flavored. 
 
 According to the drink’s official release, Pepsi Christmas Cola was created in the image of Japanese holiday cake. There’s a sweet and tart strawberry aroma in a white cola, evoking the creamy holiday sweets. 
 
 Pepsi Christmas Cola goes on sale November 21 in Japan. It’s the latest in a long list of Japan-exclusive Pepsi releases. 
 
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 Japan's Beloved Christmas Cake Isn't About Christmas At All 
 
 Enlarge this image toggle caption Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images 
 
 About This Series This is the first in a series of stories exploring the rich diversity of Christmastime edibles around the world, and the stories behind the food. Explore All The Stories In This Series 
 
 Only about 1 percent of the Japanese population is Christian. But you might not realize that if you visited a major metropolitan area during Christmastime. Just as in America, you'll find heads topped with red Santa hats everywhere and elaborate seasonal displays: train sets, mountain scenes and snow-covered trees. Often, these are set inside bakeries hawking one of the highlights of the holiday season in Japan: Christmas cake. 
 
 "It's basically sold on practically every street corner," says anthropologist Michael Ashkenazi from the Bonn International Center for Conversion, who studied Japanese culture and tradition. 
 
 The dessert is a type of sponge cake, covered with snow-white whipped cream and topped with perfectly shaped, ruby red strawberries. It's a beloved December-time treat on the island nation — and not just because it's delicious. In fact, Christmas cake is now a symbol of commercialism and prosperity, its story intertwined with Japan's rise from ruins after its defeat in World War II. 
 
 To understand why, we need to take a little historical detour. 
 
 After World War II, American soldiers led the work of rebuilding an occupied Japan. The Japanese economy was in shambles and food shortages were common. Even rarer were sugary sweets. The sweet treats from the U.S. that the Americans handed out were a memorable luxury to a people still recovering from the ravages of war. 
 
 Enlarge this image toggle caption Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images 
 
 "Sweet chocolates, above all, given by American soldiers epitomized the utmost wealth Japanese children saw in American lives," cultural anthropologist Hideyo Konagaya wrote in a 2001 paper on the history of the Christmas cake published in the Journal of Popular Culture. Sweets fed a longing for wealth and a desire to Americanize, he says. 
 
 But it wasn't just soldiers that came to Japan. Christian missionaries also made the journey, bringing gifts and the concept of Christmas to Japanese schools and families. Missionaries had actually introduced Christianity to Japan as early as the 16th century. But Christmas didn't catch on as a popular holiday until the postwar years, when the Japanese embraced a glitzy, commercial version of the holiday that was less about religion than about prosperity, explains Konagaya. 
 
 "The Christmas celebrations gave the Japanese the most tangible pictures that could convey images of prosperous modern lives in America," Konagaya writes. 
 
 And so Japan embraced the trappings of a picture-perfect, American-style Christmas — including Santa Claus, an ornament-bedecked tree and a sugar-filled cake. As David Plath, a renowned Japan scholar, writes in a paper on the popularity of Christmas festivities in Japan, "Family Christmas gatherings do not center around dinner, as in the American ideal, but rather upon mutual partaking of a Christmas cake." 
 
 So why cake? 
 
 Well, sponge cake had been available in Japan since the 17th century, but several of the items needed to make this version of it — sugar, milk and butter — were rarities on the island nation, so the cake was a luxury reserved for the elite. After World War II, Japan's economy rebounded, the ingredients became more widely available, and Japan's newly formed middle class adopted this once-exclusive dessert as a symbol that it had finally made it. 
 
 Enlarge this image toggle caption NPR NPR 
 
 And so, inspired by America, a wholly Japanese tradition was born. "The Christmas cake became a center of attention in the whole festival [of Christmas]," writes Konagaya. 
 
 Even the cake's shape and colors are symbolic: It's red and white, echoing the Japanese flag. And traditionally it's round. "Anything that's white and round would normally be associated with shrines," says Ashkenazi. 
 
 These days, Christmas cake has become so ingrained in Japanese culture that you can even find some in your smartphone: There are two versions of the cake on the emoji keyboard. (Emoji, as the name suggests, originated in Japan.) The cakes go on discount once Dec. 25 rolls around — a fact that gave birth to an unfortunate bit of old Japanese slang: "Christmas cake" was used to refer to an unmarried woman who was over 25 and thus, considered past her prime. (Sigh. We know.) 
 
 However, while the cake has become firmly entrenched in Japanese culture, Christmas itself hasn't — it's not a national holiday in Japan. In fact, it's celebrated more like Valentine's Day is in America, and it's often thought of as a day for romantic couples to share. (It's also a big day for chowing down on KFC, but that's an entirely different story.) 
 
 Says Ashkenazi: "This [cake] is part of a whole complex of things that the Japanese adopted from the West, modified to their own needs, and have completely different meaning and different implications for Japanese society than from whatever host society they borrowed it from." 
 
 We haven't tried whipping up a Christmas cake ourselves, but if you're curious, this video from a Japanese cooking show called Cooking With Dog has a recipe. Because nothing says Christmas like a dog sous chef in a Santa hat. 
 
 YouTube 
 
 Alison Bruzek is a former intern with NPR. 

 Lately, soda companies have been more and more interested in reducing sugar in their drinks. Coca-Cola, for instance, is willing to pay $1 million for a sugar substitute. Americans, as they become more obsessed with healthy eating, have finally started drinking more bottled water than soda. But what if a soda company decided to forget all that, and go in the exact opposite direction. Enter Pepsi, which has released two new dessert-themed flavors that actually embrace the sugar instead of spurning it. 
 
 The first, available in Japan is a limited-edition flavor called Christmas Cola, and it’s cake-flavored. In Japan, Christmas is often celebrated with a cake covered in whipped cream and strawberries, and this white soda is meant to evoke that dessert, with a “sweet and tart strawberry aroma,” according to Kotaku. Yes, Halloween just ended, but Christmas treats are already upon us. 
 
 Halloween is barely a week old and Christmas stuff is out. Tastes like cream soda. #pepsichristmascola #japan #nosnowhere❄️ A post shared by @cmchai13 on Nov 4, 2017 at 1:04am PDT 
 
 The second flavor, which you can get here in America, is Salted Caramel Pepsi. It’s also a limited-edition flavor and really leans into its dessert theme, by making an already unhealthy drink even sweeter by adding caramel flavor (however, in a statement from the company, Pepsi informed me that Salted Caramel Pepsi contains less sugar than the regular version). Savory desserts that use a mix of sugar and salt flavors are certainly in vogue right now, but even imagining drinking caramel—which belongs on brownies and cookies, not in a bottle—makes this Pepsi iteration seem, perhaps, a little less appealing. 
 
 Not too bad.. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤔 #saltedcaramelpepsi A post shared by Kasey Parker (@kasey__parker) on Nov 7, 2017 at 12:24pm PST 
 
 A cake-flavored soda, on the other hand, is intriguing. Whipped cream and strawberry flavors aren’t exactly intuitive soda ingredients, but they’re at least interesting ones. We can imagine a lighter, fruitier soda emerging from that combination, instead of a possibly denser, super-sweet flavor in the salted caramel version. 
 
 Don’t take our word for it, though. Get out there and grab a Salted Caramel Pepsi and try it yourself, before its run on grocery store shelves ends. As for the Christmas Cola, we Americans will just have to keep fantasizing about what it must be like to drink a slice of cake. 
 
 Update 11/8: A statement from Pepsi clarified that Salted Caramel Pepsi contains less sugar than it's original counterpart.
– You can now have your cake and drink it, too. Food & Wine reports on a new limited-edition dessert-flavored drink from Pepsi, though you'll have to travel to Japan to sample it. Christmas Cola, which goes on sale there Nov. 21, is a white soda that Kotaku describes as having a "sweet and tart strawberry aroma" and that's modeled after Japan's seasonal Christmas cakes, which are sponge cakes covered with white whipped cream and strawberries. If Tokyo isn't in your immediate travel plans, Pepsi is also pushing another limited-run soda here in the US: Salted Caramel Pepsi, which, despite its apparently cloyingly sweet taste, is said to have less sugar than original Pepsi. Food & Wine is already playing favorites, deeming the cake-flavored pop "intriguing" but noting that caramel "belongs on brownies and cookies, not in a bottle." Ad Age notes that, as pumpkin spice season comes to a close, holiday-themed food and beverage items are taking over the shelves, and PepsiCo isn't hesitating from embracing that holiday spirit: The company is also offering a red-and-green version of Cap'n Crunch cereal, chocolate-dipped Lay's potato chips, and snowflake-shaped Cheetos, per a release.