Unfortunately you're not alone.  I've posted a few complaints already, and when I get time I'll write a formal letter to General Mills regarding the quality of the Cheesy Hashbrowns Hamburger Helper.

In short - the Cheesy Hashbrowns recipe, from the thin and short potatoes to the thick and inedible cheese sauce, has been ruined.  This was by far one of my favorite dishes to make, but now it's insipid and inedible.

I too have noticed that HH is not what it used to be...for some reason, I cannot get it to not be lumpy.  The cheese packet always clumps up no matter what I do...it is very sad considering this used to be a once a week staple for my family.  Since the change, it has become a once a month maybe. 

I wish they would bring back the original formula, and original flavors, and stop trying to make, "NEW" flavors that are food gone horribly wrong!  We need a HH Revolution!

I'm glad that I'm not the only person that has noticed that HH doesn't taste as good as it used to.  I grew up in the 70's when HH probably first came out.  We ate the original cheeseburger macaroni faithfully every week.  Now it is so horrible I barely recognize it.  What has happened to cheeseburger macaroni?  It used to be so good, not the recipie has been so altered it is pitiful.  For a while I was about to find the store brands that tasted a little better but now they are awful too.  Even the coloring is off and dreadful looking.  Please bring back the original recipe from the 70's and I bet money the sales will increase! 

To me, Hamburger Helper has become inedible.  I stopped using it when I noticed a waxy texture, yukky color and gross cheese.  It tastes like chemicals.  I tried the other ones without cheese and they were horrible, too.

They (I think Borden bought Hamburger Helper) took a delicious, easy to make dish and totally ruined it--all flavors.  They should be ashamed of themselves.  I guess they were trying to save money, but instead, they lost customers.  I will NEVER use Hamburger Helper again until I see a commerical saying they have returned to the old recipes.  Then I'll try it once to see, and if they have, I'll go back to using it a couple of times a week.  If it's still bad, I'll never try it again.

Whoever did this to a once great product should be ashamed of themselves.