Kraft Heinz bets on protein to revive legacy brands and growth

Kraft Heinz is putting more money behind its old guard, and protein is becoming one of the clearest ways the company is trying to make that spend count. The company said it is raising marketing outlays by 37% as it pushes from defense to offense, with the goal of reviving growth rather than just keeping familiar brands visible.

The sharpest example is PowerMac, a new Kraft Mac & Cheese line built with pea protein and dairy protein. Each serving delivers 17 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber, a formulation meant to keep the comfort-food appeal intact while giving the product a better nutritional story on the shelf. Kraft Heinz said PowerMac took nearly a year to develop, a sign that this is not being treated like a quick line extension. The company is betting that shoppers will respond to a pantry staple that feels familiar but checks more of the boxes consumers now want from packaged food.

That logic matters because Kraft Heinz is not using protein as a one-off claim. It is trying to make functional reformulation part of the brand reset. Kraft Mac & Cheese has been “bringing generations together since 1937,” and Kraft Heinz is leaning on that heritage while trying to make the brand look more current to families that still want convenience, indulgence and a little more nutrition in the same box. The strategy reflects a broader CPG reality: food makers are trying to justify premium positioning by making higher protein, more fiber and cleaner ingredient decks part of the value proposition.

Kraft Heinz is also trying to squeeze more impact out of each marketing dollar. The company has shifted spend toward what Steve Cahillane called “higher-return brand media,” and Kraft Heinz said those changes improved return on ad spend by 8 percentage points globally. That kind of lift matters in a turnaround that already includes a previously announced plan to spend $600 million on marketing, sales and R&D. After halting a planned split of its condiment and grocery businesses, the company said many of its challenges are fixable, and the current push suggests it sees media efficiency and product innovation as linked, not separate.

The same thinking shows up in Kraft Heinz’s five-year global partnership with the National Football League, announced March 18, 2026. The league called Kraft Heinz its first-ever official global condiment partner, a deal designed to drive fan engagement and food experiences across Heinz and Kraft brands. Put together, the protein launch, the marketing reset and the NFL tie-up show a company trying to do more than revive tired labels. Kraft Heinz is trying to reposition legacy products for an eating habit that now expects nostalgia with nutrition attached.