Velveeta hit with $5m lawsuit claiming its instant mac and cheese takes too long to cook

Suit claims violations of state and federal law

A Florida woman is suing the makers of Velveeta microwavable macaroni and cheese for $5m, claiming the Kraft Heinz Foods Company is misleading customers with promises that the pasta will be ready in three-and-a-half minutes.

In court documents filed on 18 November, lawyers for Amanda Ramirez, of Hialeah, Florida, claim it takes more than the advertised time to actually make the food, causing the woman to pay a price premium for an instant meal that’s not so instant.

In court fillings, Mr Ramirez’s attorneys say that she “looks to bold statements of value when quickly selecting groceries” and “paid more for the Product than she would have paid and would not have purchased it or paid less had she known the truth”.

The suit, a class action on behalf of customers in Florida, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Utah, New Mexico, Alaska, Iowa, Tennessee, and Virginia, seeks $5m as well as punitive damages.

It accuses Kraft of violating the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act; the Consumer Fraud Acts of the States; as well as other various federal laws against deceptive practices.

“We are aware of this frivolous lawsuit and will strongly defend against the allegations in the complaint,” the company told CNN.

Will Wright, one of Ms Ramirez’s lawyers, said he is aware some might consider the suit inconsequential, but that it contains an important principle

"There are a lot of people that may feel this is just a little fibbing and not really a case and I get that," he told NPR. "But we are striving for something better. We want corporate America to be straightforward and truthful in advertising their products."

Another of the lawyers behind the case, Spencer Sheehan, is a New York based attorney know for filing a prolific number of such cases—sometimes up to three a week—on questions such as whether Tostitos “hint of lime” chips have enough citrus juice to justify the label, and whether Kellogg’s accurately represents the amount of fruit in a strawberry poptart.