Kraft Heinz Company

Is Kraft Heinz publicly traded?
Yes, Kraft Heinz is publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol KHC. The company has been publicly traded since the 2015 merger of Kraft Foods and H.J. Heinz. Major shareholders include Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital.

Who owns Kraft Heinz?
Kraft Heinz is owned by its public shareholders. Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett's conglomerate, is the largest shareholder. 3G Capital, the Brazilian-American investment firm that engineered the 2015 merger, also maintains a significant ownership stake. Both entities have representatives on the board of directors.

When was Kraft Heinz founded?
Kraft Heinz was founded on July 2, 2015, through the merger of Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz Company. The merger was orchestrated by 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway. The constituent companies have much longer histories: Heinz was founded in 1869 and Kraft Foods traces its origins to 1903.

What is Kraft Heinz's revenue?
Kraft Heinz reported net sales of $24.9 billion for fiscal year 2025, the year ended December 27, 2025. This was a 3.5% decrease from the prior year. The company generated $3.7 billion in free cash flow and returned $2.3 billion to stockholders. In Q2 2026, net sales were $6.3 billion, down 1.4% year over year.

Who is the CEO of Kraft Heinz?
Steve Cahillane is the CEO of Kraft Heinz. He announced a strategic shift away from cost-cutting toward brand investment, committing $700 million across marketing, sales, R&D, and product superiority in 2026. Cahillane said the company's challenges are "fixable and within our control" and that the opportunity is "larger than expected."

What brands does Kraft Heinz own?
Kraft Heinz owns numerous iconic food brands including Heinz ketchup, Kraft macaroni and cheese, Oscar Mayer meats, Philadelphia cream cheese, Velveeta, Maxwell House coffee, Lunchables, Ore-Ida frozen potatoes, Jell-O, Kool-Aid, Classico pasta sauce, and Grey Poupon mustard.

Why did Kraft Heinz take impairment charges?
Kraft Heinz recorded $9.3 billion in non-cash impairment charges in fiscal 2025, reflecting the reduced value of brands and goodwill. This followed a $15.4 billion impairment in 2019. The charges reflect years of underinvestment in brand building under 3G Capital's cost-cutting model and changing consumer preferences away from processed foods.

The Kraft Heinz Company was created on July 2, 2015, when Kraft Foods Group merged with H.J. Heinz Company. The merger was orchestrated by 3G Capital, a Brazilian-American investment firm, and Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett's conglomerate. The two firms had jointly acquired H.J. Heinz in 2013 for $23 billion and then engineered the merger with Kraft Foods, creating the third-largest food and beverage company in North America.

The constituent companies have much longer histories. H.J. Heinz was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869 in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania. Heinz became famous for its ketchup and its "57 Varieties" slogan, which was introduced in 1896 despite the company already selling more than 60 products. Kraft Foods traces its origins to James L. Kraft, who started a cheese delivery business in Chicago in 1903. Kraft pioneered processed cheese and grew into one of the largest food companies in the United States.

After the 2015 merger, Kraft Heinz implemented 3G Capital's zero-based budgeting approach, which required managers to justify every expense from scratch each year. This aggressive cost-cutting initially boosted profit margins but led to chronic underinvestment in brand building, product innovation, and marketing. The company lost market share in multiple categories as competitors invested more heavily in their brands.

The consequences of this approach became apparent in February 2019, when Kraft Heinz wrote down the value of its Kraft and Oscar Mayer brands by $15.4 billion, cut its dividend, and disclosed an SEC investigation into its accounting practices. The SEC investigation resulted in a $62 million settlement in 2021 related to procurement accounting irregularities. The company's stock price declined sharply, and 3G Capital's influence waned.

Following the 2019 crisis, Kraft Heinz shifted strategy. The company divested non-core assets, including its natural cheese business (sold to Lactalis for $3.2 billion in 2021) and its nuts business (sold to Hormel for $3.35 billion in 2021). The company focused on paying down debt and rebuilding brand investment under CEO Miguel Patricio, who served from 2019 to 2024.

In fiscal 2025, the company recorded $9.3 billion in non-cash impairment charges, reflecting further brand value erosion. Steve Cahillane became CEO and announced a departure from the cost-cutting era. The company paused work on a potential separation of the business and committed to investing $600 million, later increased to $700 million, in marketing, sales, R&D, and product superiority. Cahillane described the opportunity as "larger than expected" and said many of the company's challenges are "fixable and within our control."

Kraft Heinz has published ESG commitments focused on sustainable sourcing, packaging reduction, and greenhouse gas emissions. The company has set targets for making 100% of its packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025. The company has also committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its operations.

The company has faced criticism over the nutritional quality of its products, particularly those marketed to children. Lunchables, one of the company's key brands, has been subject to scrutiny over sodium content and nutritional value. Consumer advocacy groups have also raised concerns about artificial ingredients and additives in processed foods.

Kraft Heinz has a supplier code of conduct and conducts audits of its agricultural and manufacturing supply chain. The company sources tomatoes, dairy, wheat, and other commodities from global suppliers and has faced scrutiny over labor practices in agricultural supply chains.

Kraft Heinz has faced several significant controversies. The 2019 SEC investigation into procurement accounting irregularities resulted in a $62 million settlement in 2021. The investigation found that the company had engaged in improper cost accounting that inflated reported earnings between 2015 and 2018.

The $15.4 billion brand impairment in 2019 and the $9.3 billion impairment in 2025 have drawn scrutiny from investors and analysts. These write-downs reflect the failure of the 3G Capital cost-cutting model when applied to consumer brands, where investment in marketing and innovation is necessary to maintain market share.

The company has faced product recalls over the years, including recalls of cheese products due to choking hazards and recalls of hot dogs due to listeria concerns. Food safety incidents have drawn regulatory scrutiny from the FDA and USDA.

Kraft Heinz has also faced criticism over its environmental impact, particularly regarding packaging waste from single-serve products like Lunchables and Capri Sun. The company has committed to improving packaging sustainability but has been criticized for the pace of change.