Boxes of Kraft Foods Inc. Velveeta Shells & Cheese sit on a shelf in a grocery store in Glenview, Illinois, U.S., on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010. Cadbury Plc agreed to an improved 11.9 billion-pound ($19.7 billion) offer from Kraft Foods Inc., ending more than four months of resistance and creating the world's largest confectioner. Photographer: Tim Boyle/Bloomberg via Getty Images News
A Florida woman is reclaiming her time from Kraft Heinz with a $5 million lawsuit. Amanda Ramirez says she bought microwavable Velveeta mac & cheese under the impression she would spend only three-and-a-half minutes preparing it.
Now, her class action lawsuit alleges the preparation takes more time than advertised. She wants Kraft Heinz Foods Company to cut a $5 million check, plus punitive damages for false advertisement.
Ramirez is also dragging Kraft into the light by asking them to walk back the “deceptive advertisement” and to “engage in a corrective advertising campaign.”
Meanwhile, Kraft Heinz seems ready to fight Ramirez’s lawsuit, despite labeling it “frivolous.”
“We are aware of this frivolous lawsuit and will strongly defend against the allegations in the complaint,” a company spokesperson told CNN.
Ramirez put her claims on paper just before the recent holiday weekend. Her attorneys filed the lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida on November 18.
Their leading argument is that Kraft pushes “false and misleading” packaging by saying their microwavable single-serve cups of mac and cheese will be “ready in 3 1/2 minutes.” The lawsuit centers on that specific phrase compared to the instructions.
The product instructs consumers to microwave the cups for 3 1/2 minutes, per the suit. But Ramirez says the time frame only accounts for cooking the product, not the complete preparation, which means it takes longer for the product to be “ready.”
The lawsuit argues that the time advertised doesn’t consider all four steps, including removing the lid and sauce pouch, adding water, microwaving, and stirring.
Ramirez also claims Kraft Heinz is making bank off people’s trust in their well-known brand. The suit alleges the company unfairly profited by selling their product at “a substantial price premium” under “misleading” marketing.
Ramirez says she “paid more for the product than she would have paid and would not have purchased it or paid less had she known the truth.”
Amanda is not alone in her fight against a corporate company over alleged false advertising. A Los Angeles man is suing T.W. Garner Food Co. because their Texas Pete hot sauce is made in North Carolina. Like Ramirez, Phillip White wants T.W. Garner to make packaging updates, including changing its name and branding.
