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A new study from Consumer Reports claims Lunchables – prepackaged boxes of deli meat, cheese, and crackers – contain alarming levels of lead and sodium.
The consumer advocacy and independent product testing group said the popular snack item should not be permitted for school lunch programs.
“Lunchables developed two new versions of the snack kit specifically to be available nationally as part of school lunch programs for the first time last year,” CNN noted.
They are poisoning your kids and always have been……. pic.twitter.com/LJn8TUFdHN
— Luke Rudkowski (@Lukewearechange) April 10, 2024
CNN reports:
But a new report from Consumer Reports said it recently compared the nutritional profiles of two Lunchables kits served in schools and found they have even higher levels of sodium than the Lunchables kits consumers can buy in stores.
Consumer Reports said sodium levels in the store-bought lunch and snack kits it tested ranged from 460 to 740 milligrams per serving, or “nearly a quarter to half of a child’s daily recommended limit for sodium.” The group found that sodium levels in the turkey and cheddar school versions of Lunchables contained 930 mg of sodium compared to 740 mg in the store-bought version.
Consumer Reports said it tested 12 store-bought versions of Lunchables and similar ready-to-eat meal kits, including from Armour LunchMakers, Good & Gather, Greenfield Natural Meat Co. and Oscar Mayer, and also found lead, cadmium, or both in all, although none of the kits exceeded any federal limit. The testing also surfaced high levels of sodium in the other lunch kits.
“Lunchables are not a healthy option for kids and shouldn’t be allowed on the menu as part of the National School Lunch Program,” Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, said in a statement.
“The Lunchables and similar lunch kits we tested contain concerning levels of sodium and harmful chemicals that can lead to serious health problems over time. The USDA should remove Lunchables from the National School Lunch Program and ensure that kids in schools have healthier options,” Ronholm added.
“Some Lunchables tested by Consumer Reports contained potentially dangerous levels of harmful contaminants — including heavy metals — the watchdog group says. It is now asking school cafeterias across the U.S. to stop giving the popular lunches to students,” CBS Mornings wrote.
WATCH:
Some Lunchables tested by Consumer Reports contained potentially dangerous levels of harmful contaminants — including heavy metals — the watchdog group says.
It is now asking school cafeterias across the U.S. to stop giving the popular lunches to students. pic.twitter.com/VWCwXBjPK8
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) April 11, 2024
Per CBS News:
None of the kits exceeded legal or regulatory limits, but five of 12 tested products would expose someone to 50% or more of California’s maximum allowable amount of lead, or cadmium heavy metals that can cause developmental and other problems in kids, CR found.
A 3.2-ounce Turkey and Cheddar Cracker Stackers Lunchables held 74% of California’s level allowed for lead, and 49% of the daily recommended sodium for 4- to 8-year-olds. Other products tested by CR were found to contain lesser amounts of both lead and sodium.
“The kits provide only about 15% of the 1,600 daily calories that a typical 8-year-old requires, but that small amount of food puts them fairly close to the daily maximum limit for lead,” stated Eric Boring, a CR chemist who led the testing. “So if a child gets more than half of the daily limit for lead from so few calories, there’s little room for potential exposure from other foods, drinking water or the environment.”
“We don’t think anybody should regularly eat these products, and they definitely shouldn’t be considered a healthy school lunch,” said Boring.
CR is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to remove the Kraft Heinz products from the National School Lunch Program, with its petition nearing 15,000 signatures. The federal program provides low-cost or free meals to kids on school days.
