Woman Stumped When Kraft Gluten-Free Mac & Cheese Boxes Are Missing Key Ingredient — How the Mystery Went Viral (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

A woman is going viral on TikTok after discovering multiple boxes of gluten-free Kraft Mac & Cheese that were missing the cheese packets.

“The first two boxes I opened were one after another, and I just thought it was weird,” the 29-year-old tells PEOPLE exclusively. “A little bummer, because I really wanted mac and cheese.”

Kreger later told her mom about the situation; she suggested her daughter submit a form on Kraft’s website to report the issue. In response, Kraft sent her coupons. Using the coupons, the Michigan resident went to two more stores in November to buy additional boxes of mac & cheese, but again, she found the boxes were missing the essential cheese packet.

“The third time it happened, I thought, ‘Okay, am I cursed?’ Then the fourth time it happened, I was kind of annoyed,” she says. “It had been going on for a while, and I thought, ‘There has to be something wrong in the factory, and my forms aren’t reaching the right people.’ I wanted somebody beyond customer service to hear me so they could address the issue.”

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So, Kreger, who’s originally a cat-content creator and runs a cat non-profit,Pet Angel Adoption & Rescue, turned to TikTok to share her story. While she expected the video to reach her followers, she never thought it would go viral and amass millions of views. Her initialTikTokeven captured the attention of Kraft, who left a comment apologizing for the situation.

When Kreger saw the comment from Kraft, she was “shocked.” Eventually, she also received a phone call from an executive at the company, Larry, who took the time to learn more about the situation.

Since posting about the situation, Kreger adds that 12 companies (13, if you count Kraft) have reached out to her: Stouffer’s, Goodles, Banza, California Pizza Kitchen, Philhatesgluten, Roni’s Mac Bar, Instacart, Annie’s Homegrown, Ultima, Craftmix, Brazi Bites and Violife.

Kreger says that while she’s grateful to have spoken to each company and receive samples from them, this was never about free products for her.

“I want that to be clear,” Kreger says. “This was all about getting Kraft to fix the issue in the warehouse so I, along with every other gluten-free person who loves their mac and cheese, could keep enjoying it. This was about advocating for the gluten-free and celiac community, and making them care about us just as much as their gluten-eating customers.”

“Honestly, when I was diagnosed with celiac disease, something in my heart broke,” she says. “In our society, every get-together with friends, holidays or family events revolve around food. And now, I couldn’t eat the same food as everyone else. That felt extremely isolating to me.”

“I truly feel like these companies and strangers on the Internet supporting me have proven that there is not only a seat at every table for gluten-free people, but food at every table for us as well,” she continues.

source: people.com