"Vegan halo": Why the boxed macaroni and cheese market is increasingly going plant-based

Amid the Great Depression, Grant Leslie, a St. Louis, Missouri, salesman, came up with the ingenious idea of selling packaged macaroni pasta alongside cheese. Goodles, the noodle company that partnered with “Wonder Woman” star Gal Gadot in 2021 and contains added fiber and protein, sells two plant-based mac and cheese items: the gluten-free Vegan Be Heroes pasta and the Vegan Is Believin’ pasta. “The Kraft Heinz Not Company creates plant-based versions of fan-favorite foods that taste like the real thing, yet don’t require people to drastically change their eating habits,” said Lucho Lopez-May, CEO of The Kraft Heinz Not Co., per Food Business News. “Leveraging the strengths of both companies, we’re offering the creamy and comforting experience Kraft Mac & Cheese fans have loved for over 85 years — without the dairy.” We need your help to stay independent Subscribe today to support Salon's progressive journalism Kraft’s latest initiative is part of an ongoing trend of boxed mac and cheese brands embracing veganism. Kraft’s all-new vegan cheese sauce is made with fava bean protein and coconut oil powder, and has a “similar taste, look and feel to dairy-based mac and cheese,” the company told CNN.