Kraft Offers Free Desserts to Make Up for Missing Cream Cheese

Western grocery stores are currently in the midst of a cream cheese shortage, and speaking as an enthusiast of both bagels and cheesecake, that is absolutely tragic. You can’t have a proper bagel without the schmear, you just can’t do it. The reason for the shortage is, as usual, a combination of the pandemic and supply chain issues. More people stayed home over the past year and did their own baking, including cheesecake, which means Kraft, the owners of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, had to ramp up production to keep up. With the supply chain futzed, however, it’s become more difficult to keep shelves stocked.

“We’re investing millions of dollars on Philadelphia cream cheese,” Basak Oguz, Philadelphia’s marketing director, told CNN Business. Philadelphia has also been forced to halt production on some of their products and varieties to concentrate on maintaining sales of their most frequently-purchased products.

Kraft is using its cream cheese shortage as a marketing opportunity — and will pay you $20 not to make cheesecake for Christmas. https://t.co/NEsgi4Mk0W

— CNN (@CNN) December 15, 2021

As both an advertising opportunity and a peace offering, Kraft has devised a way to make it up to everyone who can’t have cheesecake for the holiday season. On December 17 and 18, Kraft will open up a special website, where up to 18,000 people can sign up for one free dessert. It can be absolutely anything, from anywhere and any brand, provided it costs $20 or less. After Christmas, anyone who signed up can then send Kraft their receipt, and Kraft will reimburse them the full cost. So if you can’t make cheesecake for yourself this Christmas, you can enjoy any other (reasonably priced) dessert out there on Kraft’s dime.