Dive Brief:
- According to NPR's The Salt, Kraft Foods Group's Cheez Whiz is credited in part for encouraging processed foods to spread across the country during a post-WWII era where consumers were looking for increased leisure time and convenience in the kitchen.
- However, as health-conscious consumers are moving away from processed foods, products like Cheez Whiz are getting the shaft on grocery store aisles.
- Now that Kraft and the H. J. Heinz Company have announced their planned merger, the lifespan of such products is thrown into question.
Dive Insight:
Will product innovation and cleaning house be two target initiatives for Kraft and Heinz post-merger? And what could brand consolidation mean for those brands' agencies? Those are just two of the many questions posed about the outcomes of this deal. What's unquestionable is that this merger will matter and will impact the food industry and consumers — possibly including lovers of Cheez Whiz.