If you’ve noticed something different about Knorr Alfredo Pasta Sides, you aren’t alone. A popular food detective on TikTok explains what she thinks the culprit is.
TikToker The Food Hacker (@o_g_deez), who has nearly 10,000 followers, stitched a creator who questioned the Knorr packet.
Kristin Wallace (@kristin_genx_ugc) said she recently tried the Alfredo and felt it was “watery” and “tasteless.” “Something has happened to these within the last year or so because they don’t cook right anymore,” she said in her own video, which received 133,000 views.
The Food Hacker, who says she’s been “doing food detective work for over 30 years,” jumped in to share why she believes that is.
New recipe?
“It’s because they replaced the actual cheese with skim milk,” the TikToker shares.
To prove it, she features in her video what she says is the old package and the new package.
On the new package, she singles out one ingredient: “skim milk powder.”
She then shows another package, and cream cheese is listed on it instead of skim milk powder. “This is an old package,” she says.
Knorr hasn’t officially announced any changes to its product. The Daily Dot has reached out to Unilever, parent company of Knorr, via contact form for confirmation. The Daily Dot has also reached out to the Food Hacker via TikTok direct message and comment.
Idahoan Instant Mashed Potatoes ingredients
The Food Hacker says there’s a clear sign when a product’s recipe has been slightly altered—and it all has to do with appearance. The TikToker uses Idahoan Instant Mashed Potatoes as an example.
“But here’s another example I just so happened to have on hand,” the “food detective” says, showing a navy blue packet of Idahoan’s Butter & Herb Mashed Potatoes. “I saw people complaining about how the Idahoan Potatoes—they changed their packaging.”
“And it’s now this,” the TikToker says, showing the new royal blue packaging.
“Whenever a company changes the packaging, they’ve likely changed the ingredients as well. That’s your first sign,” she says.
As proof, she once again points to the ingredient “buttermilk powder” on the old package. The new one has dried corn syrup instead.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Idahoan Foods via contact form for confirmation.
Viewers condemn the alleged changes
“Buttermilk powder to corn syrup is downright evil,” one viewer remarked.
“Knorr dropped in quality so much, the bouillon doesn’t even have chicken powder in it anymore, just chicken fat. Like, just charge me an extra 25¢ greedy a$$ company smh,” another criticized.
“Corn syrup in mashed potatoes…..gross…no wonder why it doesn’t taste the same. the thing is; corn syrup is addictive…it’s in soda/pop,” a third commented.
“Oh thank god. I thought I was going crazy. We used to make the butter noodles weekly but now it sucks,” a fourth stated.
In 2024, @theaggressivegardener called out the company for allegedly removing chicken meat powder from Knorr chicken seasoning’s ingredient list. And that seasoning packet was also redesigned with a new logo.
The good news, however, is that Knorr listens to customer grievances. In 2023, the company announced on Facebook that it would revert to its old bouillon recipe after receiving customer so many complaints.
@o_g_deez @Kristin Wallace here is your explanation. Also, I can show you how to make a quick, cheap, amd easy one pot alfredo, no extra dishes involved. In short, they’ve decreased the amoint of actual cheese to become less than 2% of the actual ingredients. The calories have been decreased by almost 50% compared to the old packaging, which is further proof that they removed the actual cheese. #foodie #foodtok #fypシ #quickrecipes ♬ original sound – The Food Hacker
If you’re unsatisfied with these changes, don’t buy the product or make your voice heard and complain whether it’s through a review or contacting them directly.
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