Case Study
As consumer demand grows for better-for-you comfort foods, leading brands are prioritizing nutritional improvements alongside taste and texture. In the competitive macaroni and cheese category, sodium content and clean-label attributes are increasingly influencing purchase decisions, especially as the FDA proposes new labeling rules aimed at transparency and sodium reduction.
Reducing the amount of fresh or processed cheese, typically a major contributor to sodium and saturated fat, often comes at the expense of flavor and mouthfeel. And most alternative ingredients fall short of delivering the signature richness consumers expect.
Discover how a large CPG company successfully reformulated its mac and cheese to meet evolving consumer and regulatory expectations, achieving sodium reduction and label appeal without compromising taste, texture or the bottom line.
The key? Grande Gusto®.
Mac & Cheese By the Numbers
Featured on nearly 1 in 3 restaurant menus
83% of consumers say they love or like it
Predicted to outperform 86% of all other foods, beverages and ingredients for future growth
Source: Datassential
46% of consumers are concerned about their sodium intake (Source: IFIC)
With consumer expectations shifting toward healthier comfort food options, the company sought to reformulate its macaroni and cheese to reduce sodium and improve its nutritional profile and profit margins. The best way to do that was to reduce the amount of cheese, but doing so risked compromising the creamy texture and signature flavor that drives repeat purchases.
Fresh and processed cheese not only contributes to the flavor but also serves key functional roles to maintain a product’s creamy mouthfeel, especially during freeze/thaw cycles or thermal treatments. Attempts to lower cheese content typically result in bland flavors and viscosity breakdown, such as pooling, separation or gummy textures.
Compounding the issue was the variability of their cheese supply. Inconsistent flavors and textures between lot numbers occurred due to differences in how long the cheese was aged and where it was sourced. These inconsistencies led to unpredictable performance in their base formulation and made quality control a persistent headache.
In previous reformulation attempts, the manufacturer tried reducing sodium and ingredient costs by substituting portions of cheese with gums, hydrocolloids and blends of cheese powder and starch. These ingredients routinely failed to deliver the sensory experience consumers expect. Off-notes, such as metallic or artificial flavors, combined with watery, gummy or gluey textures led to unacceptable results.
Seeking a more reliable and clean-label solution, the manufacturer was introduced to Grande Gusto, a proprietary, all-natural whey ingredient derived from the traditional cheesemaking process. Promising a reduction in sodium, fat and calories, Grande Gusto also offered the potential to improve batch-to-batch consistency.
Based on previous attempts with alternative ingredients, the company was skeptical that Grande Gusto could provide the necessary functionality and flavor. But after collaborating with one of Grande’s technical experts and analyzing the data, the company decided to try.
The highly technical food scientists at Grande Custom Ingredients Group collaborated with the manufacturer’s R&D team to bench test multiple cheese reduction levels. A 28% reduction in processed cheese, paired with Grande Gusto, delivered an outstanding outcome.
Collaboration between both R&D teams resulted in a market-ready cheese sauce formulation in record time. Not only did the reformulated version maintain a creamy mouthfeel, it outperformed the original in sensory testing and improved nutrition:
What mattered most, however, was that customers preferred the new formulation!
78% preferred a macaroni and cheese formulation containing Grande Gusto over a traditional American cheese sauce in an independent study.
Why? Grande Gusto contains a proprietary blend of natural enzymes and minerals, enhancing salty notes without increasing sodium. Additional results include:
Knowing they have a premium, real dairy ingredient that is loved by customers as much for its savory flavor and texture as its improved nutrition has given this CPG company an edge in the marketplace.
Knowing they have a premium, real dairy ingredient that is loved by customers as much for its savory flavor and texture as its improved nutrition has given this CPG company an edge in the marketplace.
Our team loves collaborating with formulators and R&D teams to overcome the toughest formulation challenges or make product improvements using all-natural ingredients. Contact us to get started.
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Fond du Lac, WI 54935
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