KMC Box Recall
CONSUMER Q&A
March 17, 2015
Overall message to any consumer calling about the issue
Kraft Foods is voluntarily recalling approximately 242,000 cases of select code dates and manufacturing
codes of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Original flavor -- due to the possibility that some boxes may
contain small pieces of metal.
The recalled product is limited to the 7.25-oz. size of the Original flavor of boxed dinner with the “Best
When Used By” dates of September 18, 2015 through October 11, 2015, with the code “C2” directly below
the date on each individual box. The “C2” refers to a specific production line on which the impacted
product was made.
We apologize and want to assure you we are working hard to communicate with consumers and investigate
how we can improve so this does not happen again.
Questions and Answers
Q1. What is being recalled?
Kraft Foods is voluntarily recalling approximately 242,000 cases of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese dinner. This
recall is limited to the 7.25-oz. size of the Original flavor with “18 SEP 2015” through “11 OCT 2015” code
dates and with the code “C2” directly below the date on each individual box -- due to the possibility that
some boxes may contain small pieces of metal.
We apologize for this situation and are working hard to communicate with consumers and investigate how
we can improve so this doesn’t happen again.
Q2. What product(s) are affected by this recall?
The recalled product is limited to the 7.25-oz. size Original flavor of boxed dinner with the “Best When Used
By” dates of “18 SEP 2015” through “11 OCT 2015”, with the code “C2” directly below the date on each
individual box. The “C2” refers to a specific production line on which the impacted product was made.
Some of these products have also been packed in multi-pack units that have a range of different code dates
and manufacturing codes on the external packaging (box or shrink-wrap), depending on the package
configuration (see table below).
Recalled product was shipped to customers in the U.S. and several other countries, excluding Canada. The
affected dates and manufacturing codes of this product were sold in only these four configurations:
 7.25 oz. box, Original flavor
 3-pack box of those 7.25 oz. boxes, Original flavor
 4-pack shrink-wrap of those 7.25 oz. boxes, Original flavor
 5-pack shrink-wrap of those 7.25 oz. boxes, Original flavor
-more-
Products included in the recall are:
Product Size
Name of Product
Sell Unit
Best When Used By
Code Date &
Mfr. Code
Individual Box
Best When
Used By Code
Date & Mfr.
Code
Individual
Box UPC
Multi-Pack Unit
UPC
7.25 oz. each
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
Boxed Dinner
Original Flavor
NA
18 SEP 2015 C2
through
11 OCT 2015 C2
0 21000 65883 1
NA
3-Pack Box
(Three 7.25 oz. Boxes)
Net Wt. 21.75 oz.
3-Pack Kraft Macaroni &
Cheese Boxed Dinner
Original Flavor
09 SEP 2015 XDG
27 SEP 2015 XDG
01 OCT 2015 XDG
02 OCT 2015 XDG
03 OCT 2015 XDG
20 NOV 2015 XDG
18 SEP 2015 C2
through
11 OCT 2015 C2
0 21000 65883 1
0 21000 05076 5
4-Pack
Shrink–wrap
(Four 7.25 oz. Boxes)
Net Wt. 29 oz.
4-Pack Kraft Macaroni &
Cheese Boxed Dinner
Original Flavor
18 SEP 2015 C2
19 SEP 2015 C2
08 OCT 2015 C2
18 SEP 2015 C2
through
11 OCT 2015 C2
0 21000 65883 1
0 21000 72540 3
5-Pack
Shrink-wrap
(Five 7.25 oz. Boxes)
Net Wt. 36.25 oz.
5-Pack Kraft Macaroni &
Cheese Boxed Dinner
Original Flavor
18 SEP 2015
through
11 OCT 2015
XAR or C2
18 SEP 2015 C2
through
11 OCT 2015 C2
0 21000 65883 1
0 21000 77436 4
Q3. I have a box of <INSERT ANY OTHER VARIETY OTHER THAN ORIGINAL FLAVOR> of Kraft Mac &
Cheese - is this being recalled?
No, it isn’t. The only product being recalled is the Original flavor of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese dinner with a
code date between the range of “18 SEP 2015” through “11 OCT 2015” on the individual box with the code
“C2” directly below the date on each individual box. The “C2” refers to a specific production line on which
the impacted product was made.
No other sizes, varieties or pasta shapes, no other packaging configurations and no other manufacturing
codes are included in this recall.
Q4. I have a box with the letters of CP or S or X or XDA (or others) below the Code Date. Is this being
recalled?
No, it isn’t. The only product being recalled has the code “C2” directly below the date on each individual
box. The “C2” refers to a specific production line on which the impacted product was made.
If your product does NOT have “C2” on the side of the individual box, then it is fine to enjoy.
Q5. What should I do if I have the recalled product in my kitchen?
Please discard the product. You can either return it to the store where you purchased it or you can discard
it. I would be happy to send you reimbursement.
Q6. Can I get my money back if I have the product and need to return/discard it?
Yes, I would be happy to send you reimbursement.
Q7. I ate some of this product recently and hurt myself (or felt sick), what should I do?
If I ingested this product, what should I do?
If you believe you ate some of the recalled product and hurt yourself or fell ill, you should consider
consulting your healthcare provider. However, please stay on the line so I can transfer you to one of our
Escalation Team representatives so they may obtain some additional information from you.
Q8. Is this a health or safety risk?
Given the size of the pieces, external experts believe that while this may cause discomfort if eaten, it is not
considered a choking hazard. However, we deeply regret this situation and if you have any recalled product
you should not eat it.
Q9. How many complaints about the product issue have you received?
Kraft has received eight consumer contacts about this product from the impacted line within this range of
code dates and manufacturing code. We regret this situation and are doing everything we can to address it.
Q10. How did you find out about this situation?
This issue (of small metal pieces in product) was identified by our Quality Team through consumer
complaints and we have been working diligently to determine what occurred. We regret this situation and
are doing everything we can to address it. We deeply apologize to the consumers we have disappointed.
Q11. What caused this issue?
We believe a piece of stainless steel got wedged in a metal piece of equipment, which may have generated
friction that resulted in small pieces of metal potentially falling into the product.
Q12. When did you find out about the issue?
This issue (of small metal pieces in product) was identified by our Quality Team through consumer
complaints and we immediately began investigating. Once our investigation gave us the information needed
to take proper action, we quickly began preparing for a recall within the last week.
IF PRESSED (WHY NOT EARLIER ACTION?): It was not immediately clear, based on the information we were
given by the first few consumers (i.e. code dates and details of the complaints), that these initial issues
were related. For example, some consumers did not save materials and some did not send us materials until
some weeks later. Once we were alerted to multiple complaints on the same code date, we quickly took
action with a detailed investigation that led to this recall of the affected product.
Q13. What steps are you taking to prevent it from occurring again?
We have rigorous quality and food safety processes and controls in place and we are always working to
continuously improve. We are in the process of implementing a number of steps to reduce the potential for
foreign matter entering into our manufacturing processes and to increase our detection capability to
prevent it from getting into finished products.
Q14. But why is there metal in your products at all? Don’t you do a recall whenever there’s a foreign
piece found in your product?
We take situations like this very seriously as we never want to disappoint any of our consumers. We
appreciate when consumers reach out to us with their concerns. It is helpful when they provide information
that can help us examine what could have happened.
We make these types of decisions based on rigorous investigations and when appropriate, we take swift
action to do the right thing and conduct a voluntary recall – as we’re doing today.
Q15. Kraft has had a lot of recalls recently. What is the deal?
We have strict quality and safety standards in place. Our first priority is doing the right thing for our
consumers and customers. When we see something that is not in accordance with our strict food safety
standards, we take swift action.
Q16. How are you communicating this news to consumers?
We are issuing a news release to inform the public of this voluntary recall. And Kraft is communicating this
through channels such as our corporate Facebook page, Twitter and Kraft Recipes website.
Q17. Are products in Canada affected?
No. The recalled product was shipped by Kraft to customers nationwide in the U.S. The product was also
distributed to Puerto Rico and some Caribbean and South American countries -- but not to Canada.
Q18. I have other and Kraft products in my kitchen, do I need to be concerned about those?
No other sizes, varieties or pasta shapes, no other packaging configurations and no other manufacturing
codes are included in this recall. All other Kraft products are safe to enjoy.
Q19. What will you do with the recalled products?
The product will be destroyed.
Q20. Did you see the Tylenol lawsuit? Are you worried you will get sued for not taking action sooner?
We’re not familiar with the details of that situation. I can tell you that when we see something that is not
in accordance with our strict food safety standards, we take swift action. We are confident we’re taking
swift and appropriate actions with this voluntary recall that we proactively reported to the FDA.
IF PRESSED:
It was not immediately clear, based on the information we were given by the first few consumers (i.e. code
dates and details of the complaints), that these issues were all related. Once our Quality Team identified
multiple complaints on the same code date, we quickly took action with a detailed investigation which has
led to this recall of the affected product.
NOTE TO TELERX: If any consumer asks about metal pieces in Easy Mac Cups, immediately escalate the
consumer to Larry Edwards or Tiffany Bivins.
Q21. I saw that some other consumers contacted you about metal pieces they found in Kraft Mac &
Cheese Microwavable Cups. Are you recalling those products? If not, why aren’t you recalling them?
We are issuing this recall because it appears there was an incident in which small pieces of metal potentially
fell into the product during a specific window of production. We do not make Kraft Mac & Cheese
Microwavable Cups on this manufacturing line. We have rigorous quality and food safety processes and
controls in place but if we determine we need to issue a product recall, we will not hesitate to do the right
thing.
We have done a detailed investigation on these Cups complaints because we take these situations very
seriously. When appropriate, we take swift and thorough action - as we are with this recall today.