A woman is going viral because of an uncomfortable experience she had with her favorite comfort food.
On November 19, Abby Kreger, director of an animal shelter in Frankenmuth, Michigan, posted a TikTok about a mystery surrounding Kraft Gluten Free Original Mac & Cheese: missing cheese sauce packets.
Kreger, who has celiac disease, purchased several boxes before filming her video and was shocked to discover that none of them contained cheese.
“Hey, listen, this post is for Kraft Mac & Cheese,” Kreger says in her now-viral video. “I am gluten-free and I have now received four boxes of gluten-free macaroni and cheese that do not come with a sauce packet.”
Kreger says she initially purchased two boxes and discovered the manufacturing error, and after contacting Kraft customer service, she received a coupon for two free replacement boxes at the store of her choice.
She says she bought the next two boxes separately at different locations in different cities, but still had the same problem.
“So giving me a coupon for another box of mac and cheese doesn’t solve the problem because Kraft Mac & Cheese doesn’t address the problem,” she says. “You have a problem with production. I’m not Karen.”
Kreger concludes her video by asking Kraft to find out what is going on.
“I’ve had celiac disease for almost five years,” she says, adding that she probably eats this product five times a week. “It’s gotten to the point where I feel like I can’t even buy boxes of Kraft Gluten Free Mac & Cheese because it doesn’t come with a sauce packet and it’s just a waste of money.”
Kreger’s message to Kraft was viewed more than 3.2 million times and responded to 12,000 times.
“Omg, I would literally cry. Especially since it’s so expensive,” one TikTok user wrote. ‘Signed a celiac girl.’
“WAIT THE SAME IM TOO GF AND THIS HAPPENED TO ME,” another person commented, and someone else added, “This happened to me too!”
Another user, who had the exact opposite experience, wrote: “Too funny! My girlfriend box recently contained TWO cheese packets (purchased from Amazon). Sorry, I must have gotten your cheese!
However, things escalated when Kraft’s TikTok account responded to Kreger.
“Hello. We apologize for this issue. We have no quality issues with our gluten-free Kraft Mac and Cheese,” the company wrote in its video.
“Hello! Then why did I open four boxes without cheese packets?” she asked in response.
People sympathized with her annoyance in her comments section and in other TikTok videos — such as one made by popular creator Jen Hamilton, who said the company “screwed up.”
“Like I would never buy Kraft paper again if I was the one who went through this and they reacted like this?!?” wrote one TikTok user.
“Not that Kraft is kidding you 😂,” someone else commented.
On November 21, Kreger recorded a nearly nine-minute response to Kraft’s comment, expressing her frustration and sharing all her correspondence with the company.
“This stops it feeling like comfort food,” she says. “This doesn’t feel safe. This feels more isolating. This doesn’t help my relationship with food.”
Since then, people have flooded Kraft’s social media with comments in support of Kreger.
“So we all came from the girl who didn’t get her cheese packets? 😅,” one user commented on a video about Kraft’s new Everything Bagel Mac & Cheese.
“PUT THE SAUCE IN THE BAG BRO,” someone else wrote on another Kraft TikTok.
Just when all hope seemed lost, Kreger posted another update on November 21, sharing that a Kraft employee named Larry called her to say that, in addition to hearing her concerns, the company would send her a care package.
“I also told Larry that I think he needs to talk to his social media team because the comment on my video confused me, isolated me, made me feel worse, and it was not good customer service,” she says.
A Kraft Heinz representative tells TODAY.com that the company’s quality assurance team is investigating the production issue to determine the cause of the problem.
“Our team has been in contact with Abby to apologize for her experience and to make things right,” the rep said. “We are working closely with our response teams to ensure that all future inquiries are handled with the care and respect they deserve.”
In the cheesy aftermath of this saga, Kreger says she has received free treats from other food brands.
On Nov. 22, she shared that California Pizza Kitchen delivered four gluten-free pizzas to her door and Stouffer’s delivered eight boxes of gluten-free side dishes, such as creamed spinach and Mexican street corn.
The next day, Instacart sent Kreger roses and gluten-free groceries, and Stouffer’s sent a second delivery of cheese sauce packets.
Kreger also showed viewers a handwritten note in which Stouffer said her situation inspired them to create a gluten-free version of the Supreme Shells and Cheese product.
“After hearing Abby’s story, we were excited to offer her our gluten-free sauce from STOUFFER’s Supreme Shells and Cheese,” Megan McLaughlin, Stouffer brand director, tells TODAY.com. “We do not currently have a gluten-free option in the pipeline, but we are always looking at the needs of consumers, like Abby’s, to help inspire our future innovations.”
“I am so impressed by this,” Kreger says through tears in her TikTok. “I made a difference in the gluten-free community.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
