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How Kraft Heinz lost its lock on mac and cheese and American shoppers

29 points by noleary

by nkurz

0 subcomment

by nhhvhy

3 subcomments

This read like an ad to me. I don’t think anyone’s buying mac n cheese for the health benefits, and if anything Kraft is selling less because it doesn’t taste as good anymore. A return to the original recipe would win me back, and I’m willing to bet I’m not alone.

by alsetmusic

2 subcomments

I know it's garbage (from a health perspective), but I still eat a box of Kraft Mac n Cheese periodically. It's absolutely gone down hill. I couldn't articulate how without spending more time than it's worth thinking about it. I miss how much I enjoyed it fifteen years ago. It was a delicious treat.

by ssl-3

0 subcomment

> Kraft mac and cheese, first sold in 1937 for 19 cents a box, was the creation of Chicago cheese monger James L. Kraft, who got his start selling cheese from a horse-drawn wagon. Marketed as a meal for four [...]
That's $4.37 per box in November of 2025 dollars, according to the US BLS Inflation Calculator, for a box that was said to serve 4 -- or ~$1.09 modern dollars per serving.
A modern box of Kraft Mac and Cheese contains 7.25oz, and serves 3.5 [WTF?] people, and costs ~$1.24, or ~$0.35 modern dollars per serving.
Maybe if they weren't seeking the bottom dollar at every possible expense, they'd have held onto their sales.

by paHaHasta

0 subcomment

Personally I just learned how to make butter and cheese water:
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/eieSNW5pK8w

0 subcomment

by antonhand

0 subcomment

Pasta Roni White Cheddar Shells are still the best in this category, esp. if made with sour cream instead of milk.

by squigz

2 subcomments

by euroderf

0 subcomment

by jinushaun

0 subcomment

by Our_Benefactors

1 subcomments

This is one of those foods in my world which just kind of “exists” without consideration that it’s actually eaten by some people as a preference. Other candidates include: Campbells tomato soup, pork rinds, and ranch dip.