Hamburger Helper is making a comeback. The budget-friendly boxed pasta mix, once a staple of 1970s kitchens, has seen sales climb 14.5% in the year through August, the New York Times reported Saturday, citing brand owner Eagle Foods. The brand also got an extra boost this summer from a cameo in the hit TV series The Bear.
The rebound comes as Americans again look for ways to stretch meals in the face of higher grocery bills, echoing the product’s original rise during the inflationary 1970s. Consumers are also buying more beans, rice, canned tuna and macaroni and cheese, industry data show, while cutting back on pricier items like desserts.
“Today, we see consumers coming back for a lot of the same reasons,” Mala Wiedemann, Eagle’s head of marketing, said to the Times.
Even though inflation has cooled from its 2022 peak, food at home still costs 21% more than four years ago. Beef has been particularly painful: ground beef prices jumped 13% in the past year to a record $6.63 a pound, the highest since the 1950s amid a shrinking cattle herd.
Eagle Foods, which acquired Hamburger Helper from General Mills (GIS) in 2022, has sought to modernize the brand without raising prices. It shortened cook times, introduced new flavors such as Spicy Jalapeño Cheeseburger, and launched microwave-ready cups and a breakfast option. Most boxes still retail for around $2, keeping the cost of a full family meal under $10 with beef added.
The brand’s nostalgic pull remains strong, helped by decades of advertising featuring its glove mascot, Lefty, and pop culture references from National Lampoon’s Vacation to TikTok. But Eagle Foods says the appeal today is more practical: a quick, filling dinner when budgets are tight, the Times reported.
The rebound comes as Americans again look for ways to stretch meals in the face of higher grocery bills, echoing the product’s original rise during the inflationary 1970s. Consumers are also buying more beans, rice, canned tuna and macaroni and cheese, industry data show, while cutting back on pricier items like desserts.
“Today, we see consumers coming back for a lot of the same reasons,” Mala Wiedemann, Eagle’s head of marketing, said to the Times.
Even though inflation has cooled from its 2022 peak, food at home still costs 21% more than four years ago. Beef has been particularly painful: ground beef prices jumped 13% in the past year to a record $6.63 a pound, the highest since the 1950s amid a shrinking cattle herd.
Eagle Foods, which acquired Hamburger Helper from General Mills (GIS) in 2022, has sought to modernize the brand without raising prices. It shortened cook times, introduced new flavors such as Spicy Jalapeño Cheeseburger, and launched microwave-ready cups and a breakfast option. Most boxes still retail for around $2, keeping the cost of a full family meal under $10 with beef added.
The brand’s nostalgic pull remains strong, helped by decades of advertising featuring its glove mascot, Lefty, and pop culture references from National Lampoon’s Vacation to TikTok. But Eagle Foods says the appeal today is more practical: a quick, filling dinner when budgets are tight, the Times reported.
