To combat cream cheese shortage Kraft offers $20 to skip the holiday cheesecake this year

Sales of Philadelphia have outpaced pre-pandemic levels for a second year

A cheesecake (Getty Images)

An apparent cream cheese shortage in the United States has forced Kraft, the food manufacturing giant, to offer $20 (£15) as a reward for not baking a cheesecake this holiday season.

The marketing ploy will see a select few customers refunded for another baked item, CNN reported on Wednesday, as consumers struggle to find Philadelphia and similar cream cheeses on supermarket shelves.

People who want to take part in the offer will be able to go online on 17 and 18 December and submit a receipt for a baked item – but not a cheesecake. The dessert is popular at this time of year.

As many as 18,000 refunds up to $20 will be issued by Kraft, who are yet to announce the website for the cheesecake refund giveaway. The refund process will take a few weeks, it was reported.

Philadelphia cream cheese, which is manufactured and distributed by Kraft, is widely used for cheesecakes – including that made by Junior’s, a New York-based company.

The restaurant chain announced last week that it was having difficulties sourcing Philadelphia for its cheesecake products and was ceasing production temporarily.

As well as restaurants ordering more cream cheese, as CNN reported, sales of Philadelphia are currently around 20 per cent above pre-pandemic levels.

Many Americans turned to home baking during the pandemic.

The demand, which has continued into 2021, has meant Kraft has struggled to stock supermarket shelves with its iconic cream cheese product.