Many consumers customize mac & cheese by adding extra seasonings and ingredients, affectionately known as “mac hacks.”1 KRAFT Mac & Cheese announced the its own 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. A nationwide pre-sale began November 25.
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. 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. 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.”
— Sara Roashan, associate director of innovation, KRAFT Mac & Cheese
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 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 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.
1 Top Gen Z Food and Beverage Preferences, In-Sight, April 2024
2 IRI Annual consumption Data from 2019- 2023
3 2024 Mac & Cheese Category Lapsed Buyer Study, Numerator Survey
4 IRI, Last 13 weeks sales as of 10/27/24
