Lunchables are popular lunches for a lot of kids. And if you can’t get them at home, you can get them in a lot of school cafeterias.
But now the watchdog group, Consumer Reports, is asking the government to pull Lunchables off school menus.
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“Lunchables are not a healthy option for kids and shouldn’t be allowed on the menu as part of the National School Lunch Program,” said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports.
Testing shows relatively high levels of lead, cadmium and sodium, according to Consumer Reports.
Those concerning levels showed up in several of the 12 different versions of Lunchables and similar lunch kits they tested.
All but one of the kits contained phthalates or plasticizers.
“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 said.
The group also started a petition to the United States Department of Agriculture, which oversees the nation’s school lunch program. The USDA website says their program “provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or no-cost lunches to children each school day.”
Consumer Reports says in their press release about the testing:
The USDA currently allows two Lunchables kits — Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Stackers and Extra Cheesy Pizza — to be served to nearly 30 million children through the National School Lunch Program. To meet the program’s requirements, Kraft Heinz added more whole grains to the crackers and more protein to the Lunchable kits designed for schools compared to store-bought versions.