The cheese sauce is the greatest component of boxed mac and cheese. What happens if there are no gluten-free Kraft Mac & Cheeses in the box you open? Abby Engel was in similar predicament when she bought four boxes from four different places only to discover that one essential component was missing. In a TikTok video, Engel, a Michigan resident, claimed that contacting Kraft didn’t resolve the problem because the company offered her vouchers for another free box. As a result, she’s caught in a never-ending cycle of, say, cheese less, wheatless macaroni.
In her Nov. Abby, who has celiac disease and is gluten intolerant, noted, “The problem is, then I go in to use that coupon, and I get another box of Mac & Cheese, and I open it up and there’s no sauce packet inside.” “So it’s not working to give me a coupon to buy another box of Mac & Cheese.”
Engel claimed that in addition to visiting other stores in her city, such as Walmart and Kroger, she also visited a store while on a work trip in order to locate the product. The cheese sauce was absent from all of them.
Is it annoying? Of course. However, Kraft’s handling of Engel’s situation and her attempts to disclose it are the true issue. “We regret this problem. Our gluten-free Kraft Macaroni and Cheese isn’t experiencing any quality problems right now,” the company said.
“So why have I opened four boxes without any cheese packets?” Engel retorted.
The annoyance of not having mac and cheese available wasn’t the only thing that Engel had with Kraft. She said that she was diagnosed with celiac disease five years ago, an autoimmune disorder, which is the reason she follows a gluten-free diet.
Gluten—the proteins in wheat, barley, and rye—causes an immunological reaction in the small intestine of people with celiac disease, which results in symptoms like bloating, anemia, diarrhea, exhaustion, and poor nutrient absorption. As she works with a therapist and nutritionist to address her difficult relationship with food, Engel said Kraft’s Mac & Cheese has been a “comfort food,” but the circumstances have forced her to reconsider that. “It doesn’t feel safe because of this,” she remarked. “I feel more alone because of this.”
Engel was fortunately supported by TikTokers, who are always willing to fight for minor justice against subpar food goods. Creators left comments like “Not Kraft gaslighting you” and “Nooo way they just responded this way.” Others demanded that Engel open boxes in-store to support her claims or verify that the “batch” number on the boxes matched, which could explain why a cheese packet may have been missing from each one.
However, it appears that Kraft has now changed its mind. In response to the drama, the corporation seems to be working directly with Engel to resolve the issue. “Our team has been in touch with Abby to apologize for her experience and to make things right,” a Kraft representative told Yahoo Life in a statement. To guarantee that any upcoming queries receive the consideration and deference they merit, we are collaborating closely with our response teams. In order to identify the underlying reason and resolve the production issue, our Quality Assurance team is also actively looking into it.
Engel also acknowledged in a TikTok video uploaded on Friday that Kraft, or more specifically, an executive named Larry, contacted her to apologize for the problem and discuss a solution, adding that she was informed that an internal inquiry was underway.
Engel stated, “I don’t want to stop buying Kraft, I don’t.” Larry added that they will be investigating the initial comments made by Kraft’s social media team on her post.
Engel stated that she received love from other brands, but the question behind the missing cheese sauce still stands. To cheer her happy, California Pizza Kitchen and Stouffer’s delivered her gluten-free items. However, as Engel stated, she has no desire to leave Kraft Mac & Cheese. Hopefully, she will soon receive her cheddar, or whatever is in those sadly tasty cheese sauce mixtures.
