Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailGet our free Inside Washington emailFirst popularized in the 1970s as a budget-friendly way to stretch a pound of ground beef, U.S. pantry staple Hamburger Helper is once again finding its way onto American dinner tables. While many food brands are seeing a dip in consumer demand, Hamburger Helper is bucking the trend. Sales jumped 14.5 percent in the year through August, according to owner Eagle Foods. However, the recent rise in sales cannot be pegged to nostalgia alone and is more likely related to inflation and rising grocery bills, which are squeezing household budgets.According to General Mills, the company that first launched the “Helper” brand in 1971, at that time, “beef prices were soaring and the U.S. economy had weakened”. General Mills sold it to Eagle Foods in 2022.“Amidst almost identical market conditions that fueled Hamburger Helper’s blockbuster introduction more than 50 years ago, the brand has quietly emerged as America’s meal of the moment,” Eagle Foods acknowledged.Since the spring, economists have repeatedly pointed to faltering consumer confidence and reduced spending power as the U.S. economy tackles headwinds, with the possibility that the country will fall into a recession, or could already be in recession. Consumer confidence fell further in September amid a sharp slide in expectations for the general economy. Last week, Neil Bellamy, consumer insights director at market research company GfK, said their consumer confidence index reveals that “both personal finance measures – past and future – are lower, while our primary purchases measure has dropped three points to minus 16.“Looking at the economy, sentiment is sliding sharply: in June 2024, our forward-looking measure stood at minus 11, but just 15 months later it has slumped to minus 32.”Sales of Hamburger Helper jumped 14.5% in the year to August (Getty/iStock)Shoppers feeling the pinch are also turning to other pantry staples, such as canned tuna, salmon, and sardines. Sales of beans and boxed macaroni and cheese are also holding strong, according to data from research firm Circana.”There are two words I will use to describe the current state of consumer behavior today: uncertainty and resilience,” Circana’s senior vice president, David Portalatin, said last week. “There are several elements like tariffs, immigration policy, and the narrative around the purity and quality of our food supply that seem to make the future uncertain. But despite the uncertainty, there are signs that consumers and the economy are resilient.”This has pushed many consumers to prioritize value and necessity – scaling back on non-essential luxuries in favour of affordable, filling options.Hamburger Helper’s spike in sales may also have been given a boost after it appeared in the hit kitchen drama series The Bear in June, which sparked renewed interest in the retro staple, with food influencers and cooks offering various takes on the recipe featured in the show.
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Hamburger Helper sales are spiking, what does that mean for America’s economy
