Woman Stumped When Kraft Gluten-Free Mac & Cheese Boxes Are Missing Key Ingredient — How the Mystery Went Viral (Exclusive)

Abby Kreger was diagnosed with celiac disease in March 2020

• Abby Kreger was diagnosed with celiac disease in March 2020

• On Oct. 1, the Michigander went to buy a box of Kraft gluten-free mac & cheese. After purchasing a box and returning home, she discovered it was missing the cheese packet

• When this happened three more times, Kreger, who's originally a cat content creator and runs a cat non-profit, turned to TikTok

• Since posting about the situation, her videos have gone viral, amassing millions of views and thousands of comments, including from Kraft

A woman is going viral on TikTok after discovering multiple boxes of gluten-free Kraft Mac & Cheese that were missing the cheese packets.

It all began when Abby Kreger, who was diagnosed with celiac disease in March 2020, went to the store on Oct. 1 to buy a box of Kraft gluten-free mac & cheese. After purchasing a box and returning home, she discovered it was missing the cheese packet. She then went to another store and bought a second box, only to find that it, too, lacked the cheese packet.

"The first two boxes I opened were one after another, and I just thought it was weird," the 29-year-old tells PEOPLE exclusively. "A little bummer, because I really wanted mac and cheese."

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Kreger later told her mom about the situation; she suggested her daughter submit a form on Kraft's website to report the issue. In response, Kraft sent her coupons. Using the coupons, the Michigan resident went to two more stores in November to buy additional boxes of mac & cheese, but again, she found the boxes were missing the essential cheese packet.

"The third time it happened, I thought, 'Okay, am I cursed?' Then the fourth time it happened, I was kind of annoyed," she says. "It had been going on for a while, and I thought, 'There has to be something wrong in the factory, and my forms aren't reaching the right people.' I wanted somebody beyond customer service to hear me so they could address the issue."

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So, Kreger, who's originally a cat-content creator and runs a cat non-profit, Pet Angel Adoption & Rescue, turned to TikTok to share her story. While she expected the video to reach her followers, she never thought it would go viral and amass millions of views. Her initial TikTok even captured the attention of Kraft, who left a comment apologizing for the situation.

"Hello. We apologize for this issue. We're not having any quality issues with our gluten-free Kraft Mac & Cheese," the brand wrote on her video, which has since garnered more than 8,000 other comments.

When Kreger saw the comment from Kraft, she was "shocked." Eventually, she also received a phone call from an executive at the company, Larry, who took the time to learn more about the situation.

"He was kind and considerate, and I was as well!" she says. "I know that you can't get anything done by being rude, so my approach was to 'kill them with kindness,' and he actually told me that I'm one of the kindest customers with a complaint he's ever spoken to!"

"I went from feeling devalued, isolated, and hurt by a brand that meant so much to me, to thanking him for his generosity and kindness by personally calling me himself."

“Our team has been in touch with Abby to apologize for her experience and to make things right," a Kraft spokesperson tells PEOPLE. "We are working closely with our response teams to ensure all future inquiries are treated with the care and respect they deserve. Our Quality Assurance team is also diligently investigating the production issue to determine the root cause and to fix it.”

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Since posting about the situation, Kreger adds that 12 companies (13, if you count Kraft) have reached out to her: Stouffer's, Goodles, Banza, California Pizza Kitchen, Philhatesgluten, Roni's Mac Bar, Instacart, Annie's Homegrown, Ultima, Craftmix, Brazi Bites and Violife.

Kreger says that while she's grateful to have spoken to each company and receive samples from them, this was never about free products for her.

"I want that to be clear," Kreger says. "This was all about getting Kraft to fix the issue in the warehouse so I, along with every other gluten-free person who loves their mac and cheese, could keep enjoying it. This was about advocating for the gluten-free and celiac community, and making them care about us just as much as their gluten-eating customers."

Kreger adds how as she continues to post updates about the situation on TikTok, she's received thousands of comments from strangers, who have helped assure her the immense support out there for the gluten-free community.

"Honestly, when I was diagnosed with celiac disease, something in my heart broke," she says. "In our society, every get-together with friends, holidays or family events revolve around food. And now, I couldn't eat the same food as everyone else. That felt extremely isolating to me."

"This whole situation has really healed that piece of my heart," she adds. "I am so gracious, grateful, and mind-blown by the amount of love that has been thrown my way over the past 24 hours! There have been millions of views, hundreds of thousands of comments, tons of videos made about the situation, and hundreds of DMs sent to me — each one uplifting, kind, loving, and supportive."

"I truly feel like these companies and strangers on the Internet supporting me have proven that there is not only a seat at every table for gluten-free people, but food at every table for us as well," she continues.