May 1 - Kraft Heinz missed Wall Street expectations for first-quarter sales on Wednesday, as inflation-weary consumers pushed back on higher prices of its branded lunch combos, meat cold cuts and mac & cheese.

The Heinz ketchup maker posted net sales of $6.41 billion in the three months ended March 30, compared with analysts' average estimate of $6.43 billion, according to LSEG data. (Reporting by Savyata Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)