Kraft Heinz bets on Simply ketchup to clean up its portfolio

A cleaner ketchup becomes the roadmap

Want a glimpse of where Kraft Heinz is going? Check the ketchup shelf. The company is reworking formulas to feature more natural ingredients while doubling down on existing brands, and Heinz Simply is the test case. Debuting in 2010, it swapped cane sugar in for high-fructose corn syrup and has become the template for updates elsewhere in the portfolio.

The trend has teeth. Kraft Heinz says Heinz Simply has tallied 15 consecutive months of double-digit growth, with sales volume up almost 14% year to date and U.S. sales climbing more than 20%. The company points to a marketing budget it says has grown exponentially, broader distribution, and surging consumer interest in clean-label products as key drivers.

Rolling the playbook into more aisles

"Whether we call it Simply or not, this is a playbook we're leveraging across the organization," said Jerome Drolet, who leads Kraft Heinz's Taste Elevation unit. That shows up in PowerMac, a high-protein spin on its boxed mac and cheese dinners.

Jell-O is seeing similar changes, including single-serve gelatin cups and boxed pudding and gelatin mixes made without artificial colors or sweeteners. Kraft Heinz is also taking all added color out of select Kool-Aid Jammers beverages and additional items.

On ketchup, the company has added spicy and pickle versions within the Simply line. Even so, the flagship Heinz Ketchup moves a higher number of bottles, though Drolet said Heinz Simply is attracting younger households that are new to the brand. To reach more budgets, Kraft Heinz has also introduced smaller sizes of Simply Heinz.

Prices, peers, and a changing shopper

Kraft Heinz is charging more for the cleaner recipe. Recently on Walmart's website, traditional Heinz Ketchup in the 32-ounce size listed at $4.78, versus $5.98 for 31 ounces of Heinz Simply. Its lineup still includes standbys such as Oscar Mayer hot dogs, Maxwell House coffee, and Kraft Singles sliced cheese.

Shoppers are reading labels more closely and adjusting spending. A June report from BNP Paribas concluded that categories like yogurt, frozen meals, and nut butters are seeing less-processed products outperform more processed fare by about 7 percentage points on average. According to BNP Paribas, ultra-processed items make up over 80% of retail sales at Kraft Heinz.

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Other big names are moving the same direction. JM Smucker rolled out Jif Simply peanut butter with a shorter ingredient list. Coca-Cola introduced Simply Pop, a prebiotic soft drink line with no added sugar.

PepsiCo extended Simply into Cheetos, Doritos, Tostitos, and Ruffles. Still, many packaged food makers are contending with price-sensitive shoppers and changing buying habits tied to wider GLP-1 use. Americans have been urged by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to avoid processed foods in favor of "clean" options, advising them to skip the center aisles and buy from the fresher perimeter.

The financial backdrop and what to watch

Even with the ketchup momentum, Kraft Heinz is on track for a third straight annual revenue decline. Under Chief Executive Officer Steve Cahillane, shares are down 1% this year through Tuesday's close, trailing the S&P 500 Index. Management is responding with a $700 million investment to increase marketing and fund research and development.

On Tuesday, TD Cowen analyst Robert Moskow reduced his 2027 outlook for Kraft Heinz, attributing it to a recent dip in U.S. retail sales that includes bacon, Lunchables, sliced cheese, and cream cheese.

Why it matters for your money: the company is putting real cash behind a clear product shift, and Heinz Simply is delivering growth. But softer revenue, a lagging share price, and trimmed estimates are reminders that cleaner labels alone may not smooth out the ride.

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