Bernardo Hees

PITTSBURGH — Kraft Heinz Co. has named a new CEO as it struggles to remain relevant amid changing American tastes. The company said Monday that Miguel Patricio, an executive at Anheuser-Busch InBev, will replace outgoing CEO Bernardo Hees in July.

Patricio, a native of Portugal, served as InBev’s chief marketing officer from 2012 to 2018, its Asia Pacific president from 2008 to 2012, and its North America president from 2006 to 2008. He has also worked at Philip Morris, Coca-Cola and Johnson & Johnson. “Miguel is a proven business leader with a distinguished track record of building iconic consumer brands around the globe,” said Alex Behring, chairman of the board of directors of Kraft Heinz, in a statement.

Kraft Heinz, based in Pittsburgh and Chicago, has been hurting as consumers look for fresher, healthier food and pivot away from its familiar stable of brands like Jell-O, Kool-Aid and Velveeta. In February, the company slashed the value of its Oscar Meyer and Kraft brands by $15.4 billion.

Investors have questioned moves by 3G Capital, the Brazilian investment firm that engineered Kraft’s tie-up with Heinz in 2015 along with Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. The firm has cut costs at Kraft Heinz, but some analysts say it hasn’t invested enough in new product development.

Kraft Heinz lost $12.6 billion in the fourth quarter. It recorded a $25 million charge after a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation found problems with its procurement reporting.