SOLON, OHIO — In what the company has billed as the “biggest relaunch in its 30-year history,” Nestle Prepared Foods Co. is making over its Hot Pockets brand sandwiches, adding new premium cuts of meat, new buttery seasoned crusts and real cheese.
The new meats include 100% Angus beef, hickory ham, signature pepperoni and white meat chicken. Additionally, Nestle said it has added a new garlic buttery seasoned crust to its pizza varieties and a crispy buttery seasoned crust to its deli sandwich varieties.
“Hot Pockets is excited to grow with its fan base, and really, the dialogue with our fans has spurred these major changes,” said Daniel Jhung, brand director. “Our fans, namely millennial consumers, have high food IQs and high expectations, and because they expect more, we gave it to them. In blind taste tests, three out of five consumers significantly preferred the new and improved Hot Pockets Pepperoni Pizza sandwiches over our prior recipes.”
In addition to the new meats and crusts, Nestle said Hot Pockets has added a new spokesperson: celebrity chef Jeff Mauro, host of the Food Network series “Sandwich King” and “$24 in 24.”