Mac and Cheeze change

Maybe if it was mentioned on the ordering side as well.

Also:

I re-ordered the M&C just for a bit of variance in my pasta loop, but I feel like the ratio of pasta to pasta has gone complete off the rails now.
I’ve had 2-3 servings so far and I just measured the powder to pasta and tomato left.
259gr of pasta to 145gr of powder.


Once finished “cooking” it’s barely covered in any sauce, completely opposite the OG version and I find myself trying to add different things to make it taste like something…

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Well yes, but let’s say you had seen an announcement… would that have stopped you from ordering the new formulation? You wouldn’t know you didn’t like it until you tried it would you? So even with a huge banner announcement in advance you’d still have been no further ahead.

The proof of the pudding, and all that. :wink:

I have suggested this previously on the forum, but I really think you guys should remove the version number from the printed packaging and instead have it printed by the date coder in the factory along with the batch number and expiry date. This would allow you to change version numbers much easier without having to consider how many thousands of printed packs are sitting in stock which need to be used up.

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It’s about choice. Without information I was not given that choice. What if something had been added that I was allergic to? Without warning that could have potentially been dangerous.

if they had added or removed an ingredient they would legally be obliged to change the labelling - if they changed the proportions of existing ingredients they would not necessarily - unless the volume order or nutritional breakdown (or weight) had changed. As the Pasta is usually the largest amount and flavourings the least, then that would be unlikely to be required to change.

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The ingredient/nutritional information was updated to reflect the new recipe.

We updated the nutritional labeling on the back of pack to reflect the changes.

As you’ve already had 2 servings it’s hard to access, however the correct ratio is 53.6 pasta: 46.4 powder, but it’s worth mentioning that there is a margin for increase/decrease in the drop at the production facility.

If you feel the ratio is very off, then please send these photos to team@huel.com along with the batch number so we can log this for you.

I think we just fundamentally disagree on how you should communicate product updates to your clients, and while I understand your stand on not wasting packaging, that completely defeats the purpose of writing a version on the package. You should then implement the version on the batch print instead.

I don’t know about you, but I am not in the habbit of checking the ingredient label for changes, when it’s a product I am rebuying. Maybe if I was deadly allergic to stuff I would, but…

For instance, if I am not on subscription with you, just buying from order to order, then I get no news about an update and I can’t make any concious decisions about my next purchase. For me for example, I bought 2 of the new M&C bags back in January, but had I known it was new, I would have only bought one to test to see if I liked the changes.
Those two bags took me months to finish. And it took me another couple of months to considered trying it again. It’ll be a while before I rebuy M&C if ever.

The image I feel Huel is trying to create, does not align with not informing clients on updates on recipes.

So according to you the pasta to powder+tomato ratio is 1,16:1
Mine is 1,79:1 with tomatoes counted in the pasta weight and I can guarantee that my previous servings wasn’t remarkedly filled with powder :stuck_out_tongue: and I don’t think the dried tomatoes content is enough to skew the ratio that much.
Very unscientific, but nonetheless I feel it shows there is something wrong.

I did send this to your team email for them to look at.

I would be more than happy to pass along feedback for how we can improve this process, if there are any suggestions you have please do let me know as we want to make sure product updates are being sent out to customers who purchase the product. Would this be best as an email or through your account/website?

There are no new allergens in the updated version of Mac & Cheeze to ensure this didn’t happen.

Our customer experience team will look into this with you to ensure you’re getting the correct ratio of powder/pasta. It’s also worth noting the Mac & Cheeze ratio is different from other Hot & Savoury ranges.

I must say it has improved over time, maybe I have gotten used to it though. Leave it for 12 minutes and that seems to be soft enough.

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I think via email to clients who have purchased within the last 6-12 months at least or purchased more than two times for the productrange in question is a good place to start. Then add on the product page a stamp that says “new recipe since xx”

That’s great, because that was my immediate first thought, even though I don’t suffer from any allergies myself, my former signifant other was very allergic to all sorts of things.

They got back to me within 24 hours, so very prompt, got me a voucher for my next purchase and are looking into the batch from where the bag I had, came from. So overall very good customer service on your part, A+. :smiley:

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Completely agree. Wish I took a photo of when I cooked 2 bowls side by side, 1 being the original and 1 being the new version, as they look completely different like 2 different companies made them. You need to add your own sauce now to make it creamy, cheesy and flavourful more akin to the original. Tastes empty like water, and the amount of macaroni now is crazy as well. Was perfect before.

Great customer service but such a shame about losing the best meal they had.

I’m stunned that there have been fewer complaints overall, since the feedback in this thread has been 90% negative. Are the forum users so unrepresentative?

Like many others here, I’ll be removing Mac & Cheeze from my subscription. I don’t understand how anyone could want less sauce with their pasta.

It’s kind of a human nature thing – if you read any studies on it particularly ones done in respect of consumers, there are a lot of reasons why consumers won’t complain OR compliment to a brand such as:

  • It Requires Too Much Effort
  • Customers Believe There’s No Point
  • Unknown Outcomes
  • Their Personality
  • They were never asked their opinion
  • They Have Already Made Up Their Minds

So there’s a general thread of ambivalence there where the perception is that the purchase expectation is that they should be happy - so don’t see the need to compliment or complain about the product. You would see more compliments if the product or service exceeded their expectation but that expectation is different for every individual.

That’s why a brand has to use a blend of metrics – including direct feedback - to determine its success, such as repeat sales, which is often more reflective of the customers feelings on it.

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The reason for the initial changes was due to a low repeat purchase rate and direct feedback from customers across all platforms. Using the top complaint reasons we adjusted the formula to address problems. I’m really sorry to hear that as a result you no longer consume Mac & Cheeze, the insights and data teams will continue to look at how the new formula is performing in comparison, and as always we will continue to take on customer feedback.

All feedback shared on the forum is shared with our insights team to ensure your opinions are represented.

Do you have any idea how long it’ll take to have enough repurchase/feedback data to conclude whether the new version is doing better? I’m really curious.

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I prefer less sauce, what don’t you understand? I will try and answer your reply.

I’m almost at the end of my bag of the new recipe, so thought I’d share my thoughts.

I do like the new pasta shape. I still leave it for ten minutes after adding the hot water, and no issues with crispiness. I also like that it’s less gloopy.

I do feel like there’s not enough sauce. Previously maybe there was too much, but this feels the opposite way. It also tastes more bland. I almost always have to add something to it; usually cheese if I have some at work. I don’t look forward to eating it as much as previously. In fact I have to convince myself not to have one of the other hot & savouries, whereas previously I would order 2-3 bags of M&C.

While there are improvements, I can’t say that I would order this regularly any more. From my own point of view, it seems a bit mad that I need to add cheese to my M&C!

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Thank you for your feedback, repeat purchase rate is something we’re tracking to test the success rate of the new version. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it as much as the previous version, for you would it be a case of adding more sauce and increasing flavour profile?

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Sorry for the late reply Charlotte, I totally forgot to!

That does sound right, as in more sauce and increased flavour. I’ve not been able to convince myself to finish what is still left, but I will eventually :grimacing: