Kraft Mac & Cheese serves up a slice
Can’t decide between pizza or macaroni and cheese? Now you can have both.
Kraft Heinz is serving up a slice of its newest mac and cheese flavor: Pizza. The limited-edition offering, sold at retailers nationwide throughout the back-to-school season, reportedly has savory notes of garlic and classic Italian spices.
To celebrate the launch, Kraft Heinz is giving consumers in New York City, Chicago, and Detroit — three of the most iconic pizza places in the U.S. — the opportunity to get the macaroni and cheese flavor delivered to their doorstep in as little as 15 minutes in a custom Kraft Mac & Cheese pizza delivery box.
“Pizza is such an iconic food, and we wanted to create something totally out of the (blue) box to introduce the world to our newest limited-edition flavor,” Cheryl Barbee, communications director for Kraft Mac & Cheese at Kraft Heinz, said in a statement. “From the scented delivery box to the rapid delivery timing, red pepper flakes, and even our note to the fans which we designed to look like a ‘guest check,’ we really lean into the sensorial elements of the pizza delivery experience.”
The $2.9 billion shelf-stable macaroni and cheese market is ripe for meaningful growth, with a near-term opportunity topping $100 million, Nestlé said in 2024. Consumers eat the venerable side dish an average of 22 times a year, the world’s largest food company noted.
For its part, Kraft Heinz has been launching new limited-time flavors of its popular pasta brand, often to coincide with the season. Earlier this year, it rolled out a smoky barbecue flavor for the summer.
Kraft Heinz said previously that nearly half of Americans customize their macaroni and cheese by adding extra seasonings and ingredients, affectionately known as “mac hacks.”
— Christopher Doering
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Courtesy of Celestial Seasonings
Hain Celestial goes beyond bedtime with new functional teas
Hain Celestial is launching a new range of wellness teas designed to support consumers throughout the day – not just at bedtime.
The Sleepytime tea owner is expanding its wellness tea portfolio to include a variety of functional beverages that help boost mood, immunity and digestive health, among other attributes.
“More than ever, health-conscious consumers are looking to their daily cup of tea as part of their overall wellness ritual,” Lee Nelson, marketing director of Celestial Seasonings, said in a statement. “We’re proud that our Sleepytime teas are part of the nightly routine for so many tea drinkers, and we’re eager for these fans to discover the benefits and flavors we’ve blended in these new offerings that support wellbeing all day long.”
The launch features three new teas: Good Vibes Lemon Mint, which is blended with adaptogen ginseng and lemongrass to boost mood; Detox Blend Dandelion, which improves the body’s natural detoxification process with green rooibos and aloe vera; and She-Well Raspberry Leaf, containing nettle and chamomile to support women during their monthly cycles.
Celestial is also releasing an Everyday Wellness variety pack featuring four of its functional Sleepytime teas.
All of the new teas are available at Walmart, with Good Vibes Lemon Mint to remain an exclusive at the retailer. The other teas will arrive at nationwide retailers later this summer.
More consumers are relying on beverages to support their health, using a variety of drinks to support hydration, energy or mood. Demand for functional drinks has underpinned growth in the beverage industry, with non-alcoholic sales surging 6.2% compared to just 2.4% growth in alcohol, according to Numerator.
— Sarah Zimmerman
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Courtesy of General Mills
Progresso kicks off soup season early with new BBQ flavors
It’s the summer of soup at General Mills.
The company’s Progresso brand is firing up the grill for its latest innovation, which is meant to evoke the classic backyard cookout. Progresso Pitmaster is a line of BBQ-inspired soups that include meat, roasted vegetables and high-protein content.
“We’ve been focused for some time now on shaking up the soup aisle to deliver new and different choices to appeal to more people,” said María Carolina Comings, business unit director at General Mills. “With Progresso Pitmaster, we’ve packed all the bold, smoky, familiar flavors of a backyard cookout into one easy bowl.”
Each can contains between 14 and 20 grams of protein. The five flavors are BBQ-Style: Grilled Chicken and Fire Roasted Corn; Hearty Smokehouse-Style: Steak and Potatoes with Roasted Vegetables; Sausage and Beer Cheese with Potatoes; Smokehouse-Style: Grilled Chicken and Potato with Roasted Vegetables; and Steakhouse-Style: Steak & Bean.
Sales for soup and other convenient meal options have risen as consumers tighten their budgets and eat more at home. Soup giant Campbell’s said consumers are preparing meals at home at the highest level since early 2020 when COVID-19 forced many people to forgo visiting restaurants and other establishments.
— Sarah Zimmerman
