Food
The price of beef and other grocery items are climbing, and consumers are turning to canned meats and a 1970s staple.
In the 1970s, Hamburger Helper became a staple on American dinner tables as families, strained by inflation and soaring beef prices, looked to turn a pound of ground beef into an entire meal.
These days, those same pressures are why the flavored pasta mix is coming to the rescue again.
While most food companies are seeing declines in consumer demand, sales of Hamburger Helper are up 14.5% in the year through August, getting an extra bump from its appearance on an episode of “The Bear” in June, according to the company that owns the brand, Eagle Foods.
It’s not just Hamburger Helper. Purchases of rice are up 7.5% this year. Distressed shoppers are also buying more cans of tuna, salmon and sardines. Sales of beans and boxes of macaroni and cheese are also strong, based on data from the research firm Circana.
Uncertainty about the economy and higher tariffs on goods from a variety of countries have led many consumers to refocus their spending on essentials or items that are good values, while cutting back on extras or unnecessary spending.
“Cost-of-living expenses are up. Eating and drinking expenses are up,” said Sally Lyons Wyatt, who advises packaged food companies at Circana. “Consumers are looking for foods that fill them up for the least amount of money.”
The price of food consumed at home is 21% higher than it was four years ago. But for many families, the soaring price of beef has been a particular pressure point. Severe shortages in U.S. cattle inventory caused the price of ground beef to jump 13% in the past year.
Hamburger Helper’s appeal grew over the years as the number of flavors expanded to as many as 50, including well-known versions like Tuna Helper and Cheeseburger Macaroni. Advertisements emphasized how quick and easy the dish was to prepare.
And the term “Hamburger Helper economy” became synonymous with consumers experiencing challenging economic conditions. During the 2008 financial crisis and the pandemic in 2020, sales of Hamburger Helper spiked briefly.
“Today, we see consumers coming back for a lot of the same reasons,” said Mala Wiedemann, head of marketing and research and development at Eagle Foods.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
