NYTimes: Hamburger Helper Sales Rise as Americans Try to Stretch Their Food Dollars

[AStern]

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 for their products, sales of Hamburger Helper are up 14.5 percent 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.

And it’s not just Hamburger Helper. Sales of foods commonly purchased by consumers when financial times get tough are on the rise, according to industry analysts. Purchases of rice are up 7.5 percent 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 levied 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.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/business/hamburger-helper-food-prices.html

http://archive.today/4LTlS

The Trump economy

[dweller]

1. ruh roh ... sounds like a potential run

on Soylent Gummies soon
🤢



✌🏻

[Xavier Breath]

4. ...

[keep_left]

9. ...And then, there's this meme.

[BoRaGard]

2. "Ha ha. Munch, munch, you distressed suckers. Ha ha." - Krasnov (r - felon/golf cheat/PedoBestie) & G.O.P. Kronies

Krasnov and his Elite well-heeled GOP kronies are probably munching out on A No 1 Primo Eiitist Filet Mignon Burgers -- at our expense, and laughing their elitist asses off about us stretching our money to keep eating.

[niyad]

3. And the sodium intake skyrockets!

[dalton99a]

6. +1. Strokes and heart attacks galore

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

5. Trump & the GOP wallow in gluttony, while Americans struggle to make ends meet.

[SocialDemocrat61]

7. Well, this guy is happy

[ImNotGod]

8. I was given some venison burger, farming area so not too gamey. I made some meatloaf with some which turned out great

I may go the Hamburger Helper route with the rest.

[republianmushroom]

10. Results of being governed by the 'fiscal responsible party'.

[Marthe48]

11. People are better off buying

a 1 lb box of dry macaroni
1 lb of meat (or shred a lb of extra firm tofu and crisp it in the oven or air fryer)
1 jar of salsa or other sauce

Cheaper, more servings, better flavor, less salt

[EdmondDantes_]

12. Given the cost of meat, that might not be the economic choice

Ground beef has gotten expensive.

[Iris]

13. Wait until they define ultra-processed foods