This Country Eats Way More Kraft Mac & Cheese Than The US
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Kraft Macaroni & Cheese first became a "thing" in 1937. Per Smithsonian Magazine, the Great Depression made this convenience food, which could feed four people for a mere 19 cents, a popular commodity. In fact, it sold a whopping 8 million boxes within that first year, and with World War II and food rationing, the demand for it only increased.
Fast forward to present-day, and "Kraft Mac & Cheese," as we like to call it, is still an economical and convenient meal option for families, with a quick Google search showing that at many stores you can purchase it for under a dollar. We love the stuff. Per Statista, in 2020, 8.95 million Americans chowed down on 5 packages or more of the original flavor of these complete dinners.
Whether you are a fan of the spiral-shaped option, or one of their partnership shapes like those resembling Paw Patrol and SpongeBob SquarePants, you should count yourself in good company. Even Taylor Swift has been known to require a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese in her hospitality rider, and Blake Lively likes this iconic food enough to share those feelings on Instagram. But as much as America loves Kraft Mac & Cheese, its country of origin is not its biggest consumer. In fact, we are starting to theorize that Lively's other half may have engineered the love that is thrown at this meal by one specific country that Ryan Reynolds just so happens to call home.
Kraft Mac & Cheese has a different nickname in this country
Okay, maybe Blake Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds doesn't have anything to do with this specific country's love for Kraft Mac & Cheese, but with the guy who has forged a path as an owner of Mint Mobile, Aviation Gin, and now a Welsh soccer club, aka Wrexham AFC, you never know. Per Smithsonian Magazine, our favorite boxes of mac & cheese are known as "Kraft Dinner" or "KD" in Canada, where they just happen to eat more of that processed cheese and macaroni than we do in the United States.
According to a Global News report from 2015, Canadians out-eat Americans when it comes to these blue-and-yellow boxes by 55%. That means Canadians buy 1.7 million boxes of the 7 million boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese that are sold each week. Furthermore, the report noted that former Prime Minister Paul Martin claimed KD as his favorite dish, while Prime Minister Stephen Harper detailed cooking it for his kids.
Why do Canadians love Kraft Mac & Cheese? Perhaps it's the same reason Americans like Ryan Reynolds so much — they're both super cheesy. But that's just conjecture on our part. Per Financial Post, this economical meal-in-a-box was a staple for people in Canada during the COVID-19 lockdown. In March 2020, the outlet reports that nearly 15 million boxes of KD were sold, which is more than double the monthly average sales for January and February of that year.