Woman Suing For Millions Because Her Mac And Cheese Cooked Too Slow
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In the United States, it seems there is the option to file a lawsuit whenever seemingly unjustly victimized by either a person or company. And sometimes that opens the door to some almost comical claims. A newcomer to the list is a lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida on November 18th by Amanda Ramirez. She is suing Kraft Heinz Foods Company for five million dollars because their Velveeta microwavable mac and cheese claims it only takes three and half minutes to prepare. The Florida woman is claiming that is false advertising.
Now Ramirez’s lawyers are arguing that Kraft Heinz Foods Company sells this product at a substantial price premium in the Mac and Cheese instant food space. The 3 ½ minutes is an eye-catching advertisement on the packaging that draws consumers in because of its shorter preparation time than other similar and less expensive brands.
The plaintiff is also seeking punitive damages in this class action lawsuit. She is asking that the court order Kraft Heinz to cease its deceptive advertising. She also would like to see the court enforce them to engage in a corrective advertising campaign to correct consumers’ misunderstanding of the preparation times for their Mac and Cheese microwavable products.
Kraft Heinz is being accused of using its well-known brand, which is known as a trustworthy company. According to CNN Business Kraft Heinz’s statement dismissing the validity of the lawsuit, “We are aware of this frivolous lawsuit and will strongly defend against the allegations in the complaint.” The suit also states that Kraft is unfairly turning a profit off the false packaging claims because the general perception is that they are an honest company.
Ramirez claims that had she known that the product would take more than the stated 3 ½ minutes to make she would have gone with one of the less expensive brands. She specifically spent the extra money for the false timesaving claim that was made on the Mac and Cheese package. As with most lawsuits in this country we do not expect to see a resolution to this case soon but at some point, we will see whether her claim is substantiated by the District Courts in Florida.
The lawsuit states that the packaging on the microwavable single-serve cups of Mac and Cheese claims it will be ready in 3 ½ minutes. Mrs. Ramirez is contesting that claim by presenting the fact that the advertising doesn’t account for the other four steps in the preparation process.
Because when factoring in removing the container lid and sauce pouch, adding water, microwaving, and then finishing with stirring and letting it cool it exceeds that 3 ½ minute time frame. The cooking time alone is three and a half minutes which makes it impossible to prepare the meal in that exact time frame.
We have all had some laughs at the expense of some of these frivolous lawsuits. Whether it was too-hot McDonald’s coffee, Subway sandwiches not being a foot long, or the sugar content in jellybeans, there is a neverending list it seems. Now we can add mac and cheese prep times to the list.
