At first I thought this was a manufacturing error. I had previously ran into a lot of errors in Hot Pockets I’d purchased. However I buy an excessive amount of Hot Pockets compared to the average person. I eat these daily, but I won’t go much into detail as to why. It started out because of dietary problems with my Crohn’s and needing to find a reliable food source to eat. I am not recommending you go out and eat these if you’re in a similar medical situation.
2023 onwards has been setting the stage for a potential recession, so at first I didn’t care to think much about it. Then the sleeve problem persisted, over and over again. Doing some research I found out that they completely got rid of the sleeve. The Daily Dot shares that back in May of 2023, the brand’s decision to stop sleeve production occurred. Now why would they get rid of something so integral to the food’s identity?
The perfect example of cutting production costs to maximize internal profits.
If you’re like me, you may have not originally noticed Nestle’s Hot Pocket statement blended into the back of their boxes. New Boxes with the where did the microwave sleeve go text is in the same exact spot as a previous pointless bit of information. You can find it small on the back of the box at the bottom. Because of this small and odd location, this feels like they want to downplay the entire change.
Nestle states:
After over 40 years of experience, we’ve developed the CRISPIEST crust in Hot Pockets history. So now, our Hot Pockets are just as good without the sleeve, and we eliminate waste too. Win-Win.
They also conveniently left out the part where removing the sleeves would eliminate internal production costs to keep their revenue stream higher. You’d have to approximate that for something that’d cost them 5 cents to produce per hot pocket is saving them millions on the multiple they produce annually.
What’s even worse is the old box highlight’s the importance of the sleeve as an easy-to-hold sleeve for the various “delicious crusts all baked daily.” No mention of the crisp factor.
We never cared about the Crispiness.
Of course, this will fall into my personal opinion, but the main complaint that I had with Hot Pockets was that they’d be cold in the middle if you cooked multiple of them in a microwave. But when paired with the included sleeves they’d cook properly.
A Website, explainitlikeimfive.com, shares multiple reasons for the need for a Hot Pocket sleeve.
- The hot pocket sleeve serves as insulation to keep the pocket warm while it is being heated.
- The sleeve prevents the pocket from becoming too hot and burning the consumer.
- The sleeve also helps to keep the pocket’s contents warm while it is being eaten.
- The sleeve also helps to keep the pocket from becoming soggy while it is being heated.
The sleeve was made of a combination of materials, including paperboard, plastic, and aluminum foil. The sleeve was designed to trap the heat inside the product, helping to keep it warm and fresh. It also had perforated edges to rip the paper pocket down when you continued to eat the Hot Pocket.
Hot Pockets used the slogan: Crisp & Carry, for on-the-go food. A simple ready-to-heat-&-eat for out-the-door options. The sleeve wasn’t only used to keep food crispy but there was a whole slew of reasons for why a sleeve was justified. Without a sleeve, overcooking a Hot Pocket made it as hard as a brick.
I’ve eaten more hot pockets than the average person. This product change is obnoxious for consumers. I benefited from this sleeve as it prevented the Pockets from sticking to my plate and spilling out food from the sides. Many users online have complained that Nestle ruined the Hot Pocket ritual, where you’d open the Hot Pocket package and slide on the sleeve before microwaving. As mentioned before, this feels like a budget-tightening tactic. To minimize overhead costs and keep profits high. Nestle knows people will continue to buy their products regardless of the insane changes made. Issues like these annoy me, and it’s my job to share changes like these that would otherwise go unnoticed. This isn’t a problem of me being hit by a wave of nostalgia. These sleeves had actual practical uses. I do think Nestle will bring them back at some point, but not until the economy turns for the better.
