PITTSBURGH & CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nearly half of Americans customize their mac & cheese by adding extra seasonings and ingredients, affectionately known as “mac hacks.”¹ Today, KRAFT Mac & Cheese announces the ultimate mac hack – blending a cult-favorite seasoning and the brand’s signature cheese sauce together in a crave-worthy fusion. Introducing: KRAFT Mac & Cheese Everything Bagel flavor. The winning submission from KRAFT’s recent “Fan Flavorites” program, KRAFT Mac & Cheese Everything Bagel flavor will be available exclusively at Walmart.com, while supplies last. Nationwide pre-sale will begin November 25. The launch underscores a new, flavor-focused innovation strategy KRAFT is piloting over the next year.

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Over the past five years, the flavored mac & cheese category has outpaced total mac & cheese category growth by 7x.² More than 50 new flavored mac & cheese products have hit shelves since 2019, yet there has never been an Everything Bagel flavor. From bagels and schmear to breakfast sandwiches, everything bagels and cheese have long been a dynamic duo. The versatile and savory seasoning enhances the cheese’s mellow, buttery taste, creating the perfect bite. For the first time, KRAFT is bringing the beloved breakfast pairing to the mac & cheese aisle.

“As a consumer-obsessed brand, our goal is to introduce new products that deliver on what our fans are craving,” says Sara Roashan, Associate Director of Innovation for KRAFT Mac & Cheese. “Last year, we launched a contest to give fans a forum to share what flavors they would want to see from us. After receiving hundreds of requests for an Everything Bagel flavor, we’re thrilled to officially introduce it to the world.”

As consumers are looking for bolder, more exciting flavor offerings, KRAFT is piloting a new flavor-focused expansion strategy.³ Leveraging market and social media trends, consumer feedback, and fan suggestions, KRAFT is bringing unexpected and crave-worthy new flavors to market in record time – in fact, the brand is currently testing more than 60 potential new flavors. Over the next year, the beloved mac & cheese brand will release several new flavors via ultra-exclusive, small batch e-commerce drops, limited-edition in-store products, and/or permanent portfolio additions.

Everything Bagel marks the first small batch drop for the brand – releasing fewer than 15,000 boxes nationwide, which is less than two percent of the number of boxes of Original KRAFT Mac & Cheese the brand sells each day.⁴ Fans can order KRAFT Mac & Cheese Everything Bagel exclusively on Walmart.com for an SRP of $1.58. Nationwide pre-sale will begin on November 25 at 5 AM CT and official sales will open November 29 at 12 AM CT.

For more information, follow KRAFT Mac & Cheese on Instagram @kraft_macandcheese and TikTok @maccheesebykraft.

¹Top Gen Z Food and Beverage Preferences, In-Sight, April 2024
²IRI Annual consumption Data from 2019- 2023
³2024 Mac & Cheese Category Lapsed Buyer Study, Numerator Survey
⁴IRI, Last 13 weeks sales as of 10/27/24

ABOUT THE KRAFT HEINZ COMPANY

We are driving transformation at The Kraft Heinz Company (Nasdaq: KHC), inspired by our Purpose, Let’s Make Life Delicious. Consumers are at the center of everything we do. With 2023 net sales of approximately $27 billion, we are committed to growing our iconic and emerging food and beverage brands on a global scale. We leverage our scale and agility to unleash the full power of Kraft Heinz across a portfolio of eight consumer-driven product platforms. As global citizens, we’re dedicated to making a sustainable, ethical impact while helping feed the world in healthy, responsible ways. Learn more about our journey by visiting www.kraftheinzcompany.com or following us on LinkedIn.

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