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Velveeta’s microwaveable shells & cheese product takes just three and a half minutes to heat—among the quickest of quick lunches. Florida woman Amanda Ramirez claims it’s not that simple.
Ramirez’s attorneys filed court documents with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on November 18. In the suit against Kraft Heinz Foods Company, Ramirez alleges that heating up an individual serving of Velveeta Shells & Cheese consumes more time to prepare than advertised. She seeks $5 million in damages.
The complaint says instructions on the packaging are “false and misleading.” While the label says you should microwave shells & cheese for 3:30, Ramirez’s attorneys claim the timing doesn’t allow for all the steps required to make the meal. They allege that if you include those—removing the lid and sauce pouch, adding water, heating, then stirring—there’s no way the pasta will be ready in just 3:30.
The 15-page lawsuit also contends that the claim is merited because Kraft is essentially making money as “a result of…false and misleading representations.”
“The Product is sold at a premium price,” the complaint says, “approximately no less than $10.99 for eight 2.39 oz cups, excluding tax and sales, higher than similar products, represented in a non-misleading way, and higher than it would be sold for absent the misleading representations and omissions.”
Ramirez isn’t just seeking $5 million in damages but also a new ad campaign that will correct the alleged misinformation.
Perhaps predictably, Heinz Foods issued a statement to CNN in which the company dubbed the lawsuit “frivolous” and said it “will strongly defend against the allegations in the complaint.”