Kraft Offers to Pay People $20 to Not Make Cheesecake During Holidays Amid Cream Cheese Shortage

The holidays are all about family time, spreading cheer, and making cheesecake. Unfortunately, it looks like the latter might be in jeopardy as Kraft is offering to pay customers $20 not to buy their famous Philadelphia cream cheese amidst mass shortages.

According to CNN, due to the continued supply chain issues that have hit New York City especially hard, it has caused a mass shortage of cream cheese in supermarkets, an essential ingredient in most cheesecakes. So Kraft is offering 18,000 shoppers a chance at a $20 reimbursement if they don’t buy their Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese this holiday season. 

Kraft has since launched spreadthefeeling.com, a website where shoppers are being asked to visit on Dec. 17 and 18 to get a one-time code to purchase a desert dated between Dec. 17 and 24, and then between Dec. 28 and Jan. 4 to use that link for the chance to receive a $20 digital reward. So it’s not so much that Kraft is giving away money to everyone, but 18,000 can have the chance to win the $20, if they’re lucky.

A spokesperson for the company also told the New York Times that they expect the cream cheese shortage to continue since it’s a staple in many people’s daily meals.

“We continue to see elevated and sustained demand across a number of categories where we compete,” they said, adding, “As more people continue to eat breakfast at home and use cream cheese as an ingredient in easy desserts, we expect to see this trend continue.”

It appears that because of supply chain issues, everyone will have to play their part this holiday season and not make that much cheesecake so that the cream cheese doesn’t completely sell out and send our mornings into a spiraling anarchy.