Kraft Doesn’t Need to Feed Our Protein Obsession: Stephen Mihm

Kraft Heinz’s declining dominance in the mac and cheese industry has been blamed on cost-cutting and bad management decisions. But the company’s biggest challenge is that the rules of indulgence have changed. Comfort food, and increasingly all foods, are expected to do double duty.

Many Americans are no longer content with only eating a bowl of gooey noodle goodness. They want that bowl to come packed with health benefits: more protein, fewer artificial dyes, and an ingredient list that signals they are doing something good for their bodies. It’s unsurprising, then, that — as the Wall Street Journal recently reported — competitors ...