Kraft Heinz

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A multinational packaged-food company created in 2015 by the merger of Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz.

Last updated November 3, 2026

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Overview

Kraft Heinz is a multinational packaged-food company formed on July 2, 2015, when Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz completed a merger. The combination brought together two of the best-known names in American and international food manufacturing: Kraft, with roots in processed cheese, dairy products, meals, beverages, and grocery staples, and Heinz, whose heritage is strongly associated with ketchup, sauces, prepared foods, and global consumer brands. The combined company is headquartered in both Chicago, Illinois, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, reflecting the historic bases of the two predecessor businesses. The company sells branded food and beverage products through retail grocery, mass merchandise, club, convenience, food-service, and e-commerce channels. Its portfolio includes Kraft, Heinz, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Lunchables, Velveeta, Maxwell House, Jell-O, Planters, Ore-Ida, Capri Sun, Classico, Grey Poupon, Kool-Aid, and other regional and category-specific brands. Product categories include condiments and sauces, cheese and dairy products, meals, meats, coffee, beverages, snacks, desserts, nuts, and grocery staples. Brand availability varies by country, and some names are licensed, regionally managed, or sold through local operating companies. Kraft Heinz initially presented the merger as a way to create scale, improve purchasing and manufacturing efficiency, and combine complementary brand portfolios. The company was supported by investors including Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital, and its early strategy emphasized cost discipline, operational efficiencies, and margin improvement. In 2017, it made an unsuccessful proposal to acquire Unilever, a transaction that would have substantially expanded its international consumer-goods footprint. Unilever rejected the approach, and Kraft Heinz withdrew it shortly afterward. The company later faced significant strategic and financial pressure. In 2019, it recorded major impairments affecting the Kraft and Oscar Mayer businesses, reduced its dividend, and disclosed an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission into accounting practices and internal controls. The investigation culminated in a 2021 settlement. The period also prompted management changes, portfolio reviews, and a reassessment of the company’s highly cost-focused operating model. Kraft Heinz subsequently pursued a combination of acquisitions, divestitures, productivity initiatives, and brand investment intended to concentrate resources on categories with stronger growth prospects. Portfolio activity included the acquisition of Cerebos Pacific, Primal Kitchen, Assan Foods, Hemmer, and a majority stake in Just Spices. The company also sold substantial parts of its cheese operations to Lactalis and its nuts business, including Planters, to Hormel. These moves reflected an effort to simplify the portfolio and focus on sauces, meals, condiments, spreads, and other categories where Kraft Heinz believed its brands had stronger competitive positions. Kraft Heinz remains a major global food company, but its business is organized around a mixture of worldwide power brands and regional products rather than a single uniform global range. Its competitive positioning depends on brand recognition, distribution scale, manufacturing capabilities, shelf presence, advertising, innovation, and the ability to manage inflation in commodities, packaging, transportation, and labor. The company has also made public commitments concerning product reformulation, responsible sourcing, and animal welfare, including improvements to broiler-chicken production standards. In 2025, it announced a proposal to separate its operations into two publicly traded companies, although the reference material indicates that the board paused the work in February 2026 and that the timing and completion of the proposal remained uncertain as of May 2026.

History

Kraft Heinz was created through the combination of Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz. The predecessor companies had distinct but complementary histories. Kraft developed a large American grocery business around processed cheese, dairy products, packaged meals, beverages, and convenience foods. Heinz developed an international reputation for ketchup, sauces, pickles, prepared foods, and other packaged products. Their merger was agreed in March 2015 and completed on July 2, 2015. The new company was described at formation as one of the world’s largest food and beverage businesses and was headquartered jointly in Chicago and Pittsburgh. The merger was backed by Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital and was associated with a strong emphasis on operating efficiency, procurement, overhead reduction, and margin expansion. Kraft Heinz sought to use its combined scale to negotiate with retailers, improve manufacturing utilization, and support a broad portfolio of established brands. At the same time, the business inherited exposure to mature grocery categories, changing consumer preferences, retailer bargaining power, and pressure to balance cost reduction with brand investment. In February 2017, Kraft Heinz attempted to acquire Unilever in a proposal reported at approximately $143 billion. Unilever rejected the approach, and Kraft Heinz withdrew it two days later. The failed proposal illustrated the company’s ambition to become a larger global consumer-goods group, but it also preceded a period in which investors and analysts questioned whether the company’s cost-focused model could deliver sustainable growth in mature food categories. Kraft Heinz continued to expand selectively. It acquired Cerebos Pacific in 2018 and Primal Kitchen in 2019. Primal Kitchen broadened the portfolio toward products marketed around natural ingredients and wellness-oriented consumption. The company subsequently acquired Assan Foods, Hemmer, and a majority stake in German spice company Just Spices. These acquisitions were accompanied by portfolio pruning. From 2020 through 2022, Kraft Heinz sold a substantial portion of its cheese business to Lactalis and divested its nuts business, including Planters, to Hormel. The transactions reduced exposure to certain businesses while directing attention toward sauces, condiments, meals, spreads, and other categories considered more strategically attractive. The most serious period of corporate difficulty came in 2019. Kraft Heinz announced a $15.4 billion impairment affecting the Kraft and Oscar Mayer brands, reduced its dividend, and disclosed that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had opened an investigation into accounting practices and internal controls. The company also reported a substantial loss for the preceding year and later announced additional write-downs. Management changed during this period: Miguel Patricio replaced Bernardo Hees as chief executive in June 2019, while Paulo Basilio returned as chief financial officer after David Knopf’s tenure. In 2021, Kraft Heinz agreed to pay $62 million to settle SEC charges related to improper accounting for cost savings and agreed to restate results for earlier years. In 2020, the company announced a new enterprise strategy built around cost reduction, productivity, investment in brands, and improved earnings growth. Kraft Heinz also continued to address sourcing and animal-welfare issues. It made commitments concerning broiler-chicken breeds, stocking density, third-party monitoring, and alignment with the European Chicken Commitment. Such commitments became part of a broader effort by major food companies to respond to consumer, investor, and civil-society expectations regarding supply-chain standards. Kraft Heinz has also encountered product-label litigation and commercial disputes. A challenge to the labeling of Kraft 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese was rejected by judges in 2017. In 2023, a federal jury awarded damages to several food companies, including Kraft Heinz, in a case involving allegations of egg-price fixing; the defendant named in the reference material contested the verdict and denied wrongdoing. In September 2025, Kraft Heinz announced a plan to separate into two independent publicly traded companies through a proposed tax-free spin-off. The suggested structure would divide a business centered on sauces, spreads, seasonings, and shelf-stable meals from a business focused on certain North American grocery staples. The proposed companies had not received final names in the reference material. In December 2025, the company announced that Steve Cahillane would succeed Carlos Abrams-Rivera as chief executive and that John T. Cahill would become board chair, effective January 1, 2026. The board paused work on the separation in February 2026, and the company stated in May 2026 that the timing and completion of the proposal remained uncertain. Kraft Heinz therefore continues to operate as an active branded-food company while its longer-term corporate structure remains subject to review.

2025
Proposed separation into two companies
[1]Kraft Heinzen.wikipedia.org
Kraft Heinz announces a proposed tax-free spin-off into two publicly traded food companies.
2021
SEC settlement
[1]Kraft Heinzen.wikipedia.org
Kraft Heinz agrees to pay $62 million to settle SEC charges concerning accounting practices.
2019
Primal Kitchen acquisition
[1]Kraft Heinzen.wikipedia.org
Kraft Heinz acquires Primal Kitchen for $201 million.
2019
Major impairment and accounting investigation
[1]Kraft Heinzen.wikipedia.org
The company records a $15.4 billion write-down affecting Kraft and Oscar Mayer and discloses an SEC investigation.
2018
Cerebos Pacific acquisition
[1]Kraft Heinzen.wikipedia.org
Kraft Heinz acquires Cerebos Pacific for $244 million.
2017
Unilever acquisition approach
[1]Kraft Heinzen.wikipedia.org
Kraft Heinz makes an unsuccessful approximately $143 billion approach for Unilever and withdraws it shortly afterward.
2015
Kraft Heinz is formed
[1]Kraft Heinzen.wikipedia.org
Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz complete their merger on July 2, creating The Kraft Heinz Company.

Products and positioning

A global branded-foods company centered on familiar, mass-market grocery products, household-name brands, convenience, affordability, and broad retail distribution.

Condiments and sauces
Heinz
Heinz is Kraft Heinz’s most internationally recognizable brand family, anchored by ketchup and extending into sauces, dressings, beans, soups, prepared foods, and regional grocery products. Its portfolio and recipes vary by market, with ketchup serving as the central global product associated with the brand.
Cheese, meals, and grocery foods
Kraft
Kraft covers a broad range of North American grocery products, including macaroni and cheese, processed cheese, parmesan, peanut butter in Canada, and other packaged foods. The brand is associated with convenience, family consumption, and accessible everyday grocery products.
Processed meats
Oscar Mayer
Oscar Mayer is a major processed-meat brand offering products such as hot dogs, bacon, cold cuts, and other refrigerated meat items. It is one of Kraft Heinz’s historically important North American brands and was among the businesses affected by the company’s 2019 impairment charges.
Dairy and spreads
Philadelphia
Philadelphia is centered on cream cheese and related spreadable dairy products. It is sold for breakfast, baking, cooking, and snacking occasions and has an established presence in multiple international markets.
Convenience meals
Lunchables
Lunchables offers packaged, portioned meal kits designed for convenient eating, particularly in children’s lunch and snack occasions. Products commonly combine items such as crackers, processed meats, cheese, drinks, or dessert components.
Processed cheese
Velveeta
Velveeta is a processed-cheese brand known for smooth melting and use in sauces, dips, pasta dishes, and prepared meals. Its positioning emphasizes convenience and consistent texture in cooking.
Coffee
Maxwell House
Maxwell House is a coffee brand within the Kraft Heinz portfolio. It serves mainstream packaged-coffee consumption through formats and blends that vary by market.
Desserts
Jell-O
Jell-O is associated with gelatin desserts, pudding, and related dessert products. The brand is a long-standing North American grocery name within Kraft Heinz’s shelf-stable portfolio.
Natural-positioned food products · 2019
Primal Kitchen
Primal Kitchen was acquired by Kraft Heinz in 2019. It expanded the company’s presence in products marketed around natural ingredients, including condiments, dressings, sauces, and related pantry items.

Controversies

2021
SEC settlement over cost-savings accounting
Kraft Heinz agreed to pay $62 million to settle SEC charges concerning improper accounting for approximately $200 million in claimed cost savings and related reporting issues.
Source
2021
Kraft Heinz agrees to SEC settlement over accounting
Kraft Heinz agreed to pay $62 million as part of a settlement with the SEC over improper accounting that led to restatements of several years of financial reporting. The SEC order described agreements with suppliers that were improperly documented and caused the company to prematurely and improperly recognize expense savings.
Source
2021
Kraft Heinz recalls select Country Time and Kool-Aid drink mixes
Kraft Heinz recalled some Country Time Lemonade and Kool-Aid Tropical Punch powdered drink mixes because they might contain small pieces of metal and glass. The company urged customers not to consume affected products and to return them for a refund or discard them.
Source
2021
Kraft Heinz recalls powdered beverage products over possible metal or glass contamination
The Kraft Heinz Company voluntarily recalled powdered beverage products sold under the Country Time Lemonade, Tang, Arizona Tea, and Kool-Aid brands in the US because they may contain very small pieces of metal or glass introduced during production. The affected products have “Best When Used By” dates between May 10, 2023, and November 1, 2023.
Source
2020
OCA sues Kraft Heinz over natural cheese marketing claims
The Organic Consumers Association filed a lawsuit against The Kraft Heinz Company in D.C. Superior Court. The suit alleged that the company marketed certain cheese products as "natural" even though those products were made with milk from cows administered rbST/rbGH. The dispute centered on the labeling and marketing of these cheese products as natural.
Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 Source 4
2019
Accounting investigation and brand impairments
Kraft Heinz disclosed an SEC investigation into its accounting practices and internal controls while announcing a $15.4 billion write-down affecting Kraft and Oscar Mayer, a dividend reduction, and further financial restatements and impairments.
Source

2019European Chicken Commitment alignment
Europe · International supply chains
Kraft Heinz stated that it intended to meet the European Chicken Commitment for all chickens in its supply chain by 2026.
Outcome. Progress was recognized as established but incomplete by an animal-welfare benchmarking organization in 2021.
Source
2017Broiler chicken welfare commitment
United States · Europe · International supply chains
Kraft Heinz committed to improving broiler-chicken welfare by using higher-welfare breeds, providing more space, and introducing third-party monitoring in its supply chain.
Outcome. The company later updated the commitment to align with the European Chicken Commitment and reported that 70% of its chickens were cage-free or free-range in 2021.
Source

Brand decisions

2025
Propose separation into two public companiesStrategy
Background
Kraft Heinz reviewed its portfolio and sought a structure that would give different groups of brands more focused strategic and capital priorities.
Action taken
The company announced a proposed tax-free spin-off into two publicly traded companies, one focused on sauces, spreads, seasonings, and shelf-stable meals and the other on selected North American grocery staples.
Aftermath
The board paused work on the proposal in February 2026, and the company later stated that the timing and completion remained uncertain.
Source
2020
Launch enterprise cost and growth strategyStrategy
Background
Following brand impairments, accounting scrutiny, and pressure in mature grocery categories, Kraft Heinz sought to improve performance and restore investor confidence.
Action taken
The company announced a five-year plan intended to reduce costs by $2 billion and support adjusted earnings growth while investing in brands.
Aftermath
The announcement was followed by positive analyst reactions and stock upgrades, according to the reference material.
Planned cost reduction. $2 billion over five years (2020-2025)
Source
2017
Withdraw Unilever acquisition proposalM&A
Background
Kraft Heinz sought to expand substantially beyond packaged foods through a proposed acquisition of Unilever.
Action taken
After Unilever rejected the approach, Kraft Heinz abandoned the proposal two days later.
Aftermath
The company remained independent and subsequently focused on acquisitions, divestitures, and internal portfolio management.
Proposed transaction value. (2017)
Source

Recent events

2026
Board pauses work on proposed separation[1]Kraft Heinzen.wikipedia.org
Other
The board paused work on the proposed separation, while the company later stated that its timing and completion remained uncertain.
2025
Kraft Heinz announces proposed corporate separation[1]Kraft Heinzen.wikipedia.org
M&A
The company announced a proposed tax-free spin-off into two publicly traded companies, one focused on sauces, spreads, seasonings, and shelf-stable meals and another focused on selected North American grocery staples.
2023
Kraft Heinz is included in an egg price-fixing verdict[1]Kraft Heinzen.wikipedia.org
Lawsuit
A federal jury awarded $17.8 million to several food companies, including Kraft Heinz, in litigation alleging egg-price fixing by Cal-Maine Foods and others. Cal-Maine contested the verdict and denied wrongdoing.
2020
Kraft Heinz announces a five-year cost program[1]Kraft Heinzen.wikipedia.org
Pricing
The company introduced a strategy that included plans to reduce costs by $2 billion over five years while targeting adjusted earnings growth.
2019
Kraft Heinz acquires Primal Kitchen[1]Kraft Heinzen.wikipedia.org
M&A
Kraft Heinz acquired Primal Kitchen for $201 million, adding a health- and natural-positioned food brand to its portfolio.
2018
Kraft Heinz acquires Cerebos Pacific[1]Kraft Heinzen.wikipedia.org
M&A
The company acquired Cerebos Pacific for $244 million, expanding its presence in Asian food and beverage markets.
2017
Kraft Heinz proposes acquisition of Unilever[1]Kraft Heinzen.wikipedia.org
M&A
Kraft Heinz made a reported $143 billion approach for Unilever. Unilever rejected the proposal, and Kraft Heinz abandoned it two days later.
2015
Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz agree to merge[1]Kraft Heinzen.wikipedia.org
M&A
The boards of Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz agreed to combine the two food companies, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.
2015
Kraft Heinz merger is completed[1]Kraft Heinzen.wikipedia.org
M&A
The merger was completed on July 2, creating The Kraft Heinz Company.

Sources16 sources

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