Feb 12 (Reuters) - Kraft Heinz ( KHC ) said on Thursday it expects annual capital spending of about $950 million in 2026, higher than last year, a day after ​the packaged-foods maker hit pause on ‌its plans to split and announced new investments to boost its business.

The ⁠company on Wednesday halted its efforts to split into ⁠two entities, a move CEO Steve Cahillane ‌said was ‌necessary due to deteriorating conditions in the food industry. The pause is ​expected to save the company $300 ‌million in costs in 2026.

But Callihane did not rule out the possibility of a split ​in the future, even ​as he ‌said the challenges Kraft Heinz ( KHC ) was facing were "fixable and within our control."

The company will now focus on ⁠marketing and research with a $600 million investment to ⁠drive recovery in its U.S. business, hit by tepid demand.

Last September, Kraft Heinz ( KHC ) announced separation plans, proposing to split into two companies, one focused on groceries and ⁠the ‌other on sauces and spreads, after failing ‌to achieve the kind of growth expected when the ⁠company was formed a decade ago under a merger.

Shares of the company were down about 1% in premarket trading.

Kraft Heinz ( KHC ) forecast fiscal 2026 capital expenditure of about $950 million, compared with the $801 million a year earlier.

The company said it expects to ​cut about 60 positions as of December 27, primarily outside of the U.S. and Canada. It eliminated about ​600 jobs last year.

(Reporting ‌by Anuja Bharat Mistry in Bengaluru; Editing ​by Shinjini Ganguli)