The Big Hot Pockets Product Change That Made Customers Furious

Say what you will about a Hot Pocket, it is iconic. It represents the ideal on-the-go handheld snack with its crispy, crunchy, tender, flaky crust, which usually houses delicious, savory meats and cheese. Despite its popularity, the brand decided to do away with one of the things that made its legendary product work for so long — its cardboard sleeve. Though the reasoning might be understandable, this resulted in a mixed reaction from fans. Some fans were unmoved, while others praised it for being the reason why the Hot Pockets got as crispy as they did.

Before addressing why the brand ditching its susceptor sleeves may have been a mistake, it's important to know why Hot Pockets made the decision in the first place. In a nutshell, the brand states via text on the product's packaging and its website that it was an effort to reduce paper waste. By nixing their susceptor sleeves (yes, that's the technical term for them), this helped the brand reduce 3,300 tons of waste. As a way to balance out one of the two prime purposes of the susceptor, Hot Pockets reassures its fans that this allows for 30% more filling ingredients, like pepperoni, than its previous recipe. While this sounds like a win-win and addresses the sleeve as a heating element, it also leaves its consumers with a scorching Hot Pocket sandwich, and possibly a very hot hand or two.

Snarky jokes and the internet's bewilderment aside, it does leave the question of whether the move helps their sustainability efforts. Getting into the nitty and gritty of it all, yes — effectively, not producing the sleeve means waste isn't produced. Objectively, that just means that the company saw one set of numbers they didn't like and ceased producing them. However, that doesn't address the turnover's non-recyclable plastic wrapping. This issue could be easily resolved by either switching back to a non-microwavable sleeve made from recyclable material, or better yet — swapping out its plastic wrap for one that's biodegradable.

It remains to be seen if Hot Pockets' decision to remove their microwavable sleeve is a mistake, but more could be done in their efforts. Other food giants like McDonald's have embraced sustainable packaging for the chain's now-iconic McFlurry (which has an interesting history beyond the eco-friendly cups). However, no matter where anyone lands on sleeve ditch debate, there are better ways to crisp, cook, and even improve the popular snack. One of the best ways to cook them is by tossing them in the air fryer, which produces an extra crispy crust and richly gooey insides without the use of oil.