Kraft Heinz’s vast food and beverage portfolio spans more than 50 categories globally, ranging from condiments to frozen foods, and keeping its roughly 200 brands running at peak performance is no small task.
Underinvestment at the Chicago-based food and beverage giant has led some of its brands, such as Oscar Mayer, to lose market share in recent years, prompting the company to shift gears with a $700 million investment plan, said Kraft Heinz CEO Steve Cahillane at the Barclays 19th Annual Global Consumer Conference on Wednesday.
Cahillane announced that the company increased its investment to boost lagging brands and maintain momentum by $100 million this year.
“First, the brands have been underinvested,” he said. “That’s demonstrably true. It’s measurably true. We hadn’t invested what we needed to invest to keep the brands alive, relevant and contemporary.”
The massive investment is aimed to reverse Kraft Heinz’s slumping business, which ended 2025 with just a little over one-fifth of its brands (21%) holding or gaining market share.
The investment in 2026 has pushed that statistic to 35%, Cahillane explained. “Is that good enough? No, it’s not good enough, but it’s much better,” he said.
“First, the brands have been underinvested. That’s demonstrably true. It’s measurably true. We hadn’t invested what we needed to invest to keep the brands alive, relevant and contemporary.”
Kraft Heinz CEO Steve Cahillane
Condiments category rebound
Condiment consumption in North America declined 3% for Kraft Heinz last year, but the company’s investment in its brands reversed the trend, according to Cahillane.
The upgrade includes better-for-you options such as Heinz Zero, a reduced sugar and salt version of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.
“This year, consumption [of condiments] is now up 3% and gaining share,” he said.
That same trajectory change is taking place in desserts and hydration, Cahillane explained. He said 90% of the portfolio is improving over 2025 sales.
“That’s good evidence that what we’re doing is working,” he said.
Work to be done
The investment into brands is helping some categories, but others continue to struggle, such as Oscar Mayer, a brand known for hot dogs, bologna and other products that have been on the chopping block for health-conscious consumers.
In the first half of Kraft Heinz’s fiscal year, which begins at the end of December, 60% of the company’s entire share losses were due to Oscar Mayer alone, Cahillane said.
“We’ve got an issue at Oscar Mayer; we have to fix that,” he said.
Resealability of its Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh products has been a “big issue,” according to Cahillane, who said the problems with the packaging have resulted in a big decline in distribution.
“Understandably, we need to earn that back,” he said. “But when we look at sales per point of distribution, it’s actually now growing, and so that’s showing that where it’s still in store with the same shopper coming in, we’ve earned the right to at least get retrial.”
Kraft Heinz is fixing the problem with new packaging that offers better resealability, which rolled out in August, he said.
Global rebound with Heinz
The company is setting its sights on emerging markets to ensure future growth, with some of its biggest focus on expanding Heinz beyond North America.
Heinz-brand sauces, mayonnaise and beans offer big opportunities for the company outside the US, Cahillane said.
“Heinz pasta sauce has shown that it’s a good opportunity around the world,” he said, adding that Heinz Beans have proven successful in European markets and the UK.
Cream cheese and kids’ drinks
Philadelphia Cream Cheese is another bright spot for Kraft Heinz, which is investing in innovation with the brand through lactose-free varieties, Cahillane said.
“There’s a huge lactose intolerant population in the US that we were not addressing, and we’re addressing that now,” he said.
The company also sees big opportunities with the evolution of Capri Sun, the pouch-packaged drink that comes with a straw that is marketed to kids.
“It’s a great brand, but for many years, once a child turned 11 or 12, they were out of the Capri Sun franchise, because it’s just not cool to have that pouch that you had when you were 8 years old,” Cahillane said.
Kraft Heinz released a 12-ounce resealable bottle in February 2025, positioning the reboot of the iconic brand as a convenient option “for fans of all ages.”
