In a Dangerously Cheesy Move, Cheetos Is Debuting Its Own Mac and Cheese

Kraft and Cheetos are focusing on macaroni and cheese sales

The pandemic has revealed a few things about what foods Americans crave when they have to stew in their stress indoors all day. Cookie and cracker sales are up, and quarantine baking also trended. So it’s probably no surprise that brands see a big opportunity in promoting mac and cheese.

Kraft is trying a new promotion, with a sweepstakes to win limited-edition boxes touting “breakfast” mac and cheese. It’s the same formula as always, but now you have corporate permission to eat it before noon. I’m sure that’s what you were waiting for, though your wait isn’t over quite yet: the “breakfast” mac and cheese won’t be released until 2021. To satiate your cheesy noodle needs more immediately (but only AFTER noon), Cheetos is releasing a line of mac and cheese on Saturday, with Bold & Cheesy, Flamin’ Hot, and Cheesy Jalapeño flavors. More shocking than anything is that this product didn’t exist already.

A surge in easy-to-make boxed macaroni and cheese makes perfect sense. Kids are going back to school and parents are exhausted. Everyone who was carefully tending a sourdough starter in April is over it. Pasta sprinkled with neon MSG sounds absolutely incredible. And if we’re brainstorming about brand expansions and comfort foods, Takis, please start making hard shell tacos.

And in other news...

• Howard Schultz, the former Starbucks CEO who ran for president (lol remember that?), said without financial aid for small businesses, the “next Starbucks” won’t get a chance to thrive. [NBC]
• According to a Gallup poll, young people, Republicans, and people with children were more likely to have eaten out at restaurants during the pandemic. [Gallup]
• NBA players are unimpressed with the initial wine offerings of the NBA bubble, so are ordering their own cases and sharing with other players. [ESPN]
• Someone tell my dad he should stop making tea in the microwave. [Popular Mechanics]
• Schools not reopening could be a mess for the supply chain around school meals. [FBN]
• Since Taco Bell is removing potatoes from its menu, here’s a dupe recipe. [Lifehacker]
• People are getting sick and sometimes dying from drinking hand sanitizer. [CNN]
• DoorDash has set up DashMart, an Instacart competitor that will deliver groceries and restaurant items. [NRN]
• A child in England found a face mask in her Chicken Nuggets. [TMZ]

• All AM Intel Coverage [E]