Kraft Macaroni and Cheese has a new and abbreviated name after 85 years in the business. The beloved brand is now simply called Kraft Mac & Cheese, which is “meant to reflect the way fans organically talk about the brand,” the company announced on June 22, per CNN. Packaging featuring the new name will hit shelves by the end of the summer. In addition to the shortened name, shoppers will notice the box receiving a slight makeover that includes a refreshed logo, typography, and single-hue blue that “amplifies the brand’s most recognizable asset — the noodle smile,” the release notes.
The company revealed that the new name and box are part of an effort to rebrand its mac & cheese as “comfort food.” The goal is to help differentiate from healthier products that are also on the shelf. For example, Goodles is a Gal Gadot-backed startup that sells boxed macaroni and cheese with more protein and fiber at a higher price. Additionally, Banza and Annie’s also make similar products that market themselves as more wholesome than Kraft.
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Kraft’s Mac & Cheese affordability is no longer what it once was. Dozens of its products got price hikes in recent months, which include a 3.5% increase on a pack of EZ Mac and a 20% price hike for a 7.25-ounce dish of Kraft Big Bowl Macaroni and Cheese. There are several reasons for the increase in price, which include strong demand, supply constraints and uncertainty. In a release regarding the price hike, the company noted the “upward trend in packaging, transportation, ingredients and labor costs persists, reaching levels not seen in decades.”
It’s not the only company to undergo a name change and rebrand. Last year, Quaker Oats released its new name and logo for its popular “Aunt Jemima” products to retire the racist stereotype behind the name and logo. “Aunt Jemima” was long criticized as a racist caricature of a Black woman stemming from slavery. The company is now called Pearl Milling Company.
“We are starting a new day with Pearl Milling Company,” a PepsiCo spokesperson said, the parent company of the brand told CNN at the time. “A new day rooted in the brand’s historic beginnings and its mission to create moments that matter at the breakfast table.”
