Kraft Singles are getting a major makeover

By Jordan Valinsky, CNN Business

New York (CNN) — Kraft is fixing one of the biggest complaints about its cheese slices: the packaging.

The company’s Kraft Singles are getting a a major makeover, with not only “easier to open individual wrapping” but also a refreshed logo and new packaging design. It’s the product’s first redesign in five years.

The goal of the revamp is to address the No. 1 complaint from customers, which has been the “inability to easily open the clear wrapper,” Kraft said in a release. The redesigned flap on each slice adds more texture and makes it easier to find, and it’s also thicker and sturdier so it can be opened without tearing.

The exterior packaging features a larger, slightly redesigned logo as well as “simple and bold typography.” Kraft is also putting more emphasis on the cheese not having artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, and it’s adding a new graphic that says “made with real dairy.”

The redesigned wrappers and packaging will be used on all of the Kraft Singles product line, and they will roll out through the end of the year.

The moves comes as Kraft Heinz (KHC) has been closely examining its entire portfolio of foods in an effort to increase the company’s net sales by $2 billion through 2027.

To do that, the company’s is leaning into comfort and convenience over healthy options — even as competitors focus on health. As part of its earlier turnaround efforts, Kraft Heinz has been trying to reinvigorate decades-old brands like Velveeta and Oscar Mayer, and the company recently unveiled a new line of frozen meals.

In particular, Kraft Singles is ripe for a rebrand because sales of processed cheese have been in “long term decline for at least a decade,” according to Neil Saunders, retail analyst and managing director at GlobalData Retail, who noted customers have instead been buying fresher and minimally processed alternatives.

“Among some, there is a general perception that processed cheese singles are artificial and don’t taste all that good. Kraft Singles also don’t connect all that well with younger demographics,” he told CNN. The rebrand “will make the product stand out more on shelf and gives it a more contemporary look.”

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