April 11, 2024 – Consumer Reports is looking on the U.S. government to remove Lunchables meal kits from federally subsidized school cafeterias after the advocacy group's tests found levels of sodium and heavy metals similar to lead.
The small meal kits may contain as much as 50% the quantity of lead or one other metal called cadmium that is taken into account secure for each day consumption, CR warned. All kits tested contained between 30% and 50% of the really helpful each day sodium intake for youngsters ages 4 to eight years.
The two Lunchables products available to children as a part of the offer National School Lunch Program are Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Stackers and Extra Cheesy Pizza. According to Consumer Reports, they're barely different than those sold in stores because manufacturer Heinz Kraft has added more whole grains and proteins to satisfy program requirements. The School Lunch Program is operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and provides greater than 3 billion free or reduced-price meals annually to an estimated 30 million children who're eligible based on household income.
But the School Lunch Program's two Lunchable kits had higher sodium content than store-bought counterparts, CR reported.
Scientists from Consumer Reports also analyzed 12 kits available in supermarkets and located similarly high levels of sodium and metals. Varieties tested included three from Lunchables, in addition to lunch and snack sets sold under the brand names Armor LunchMakers, Good & Gather (Target), Greenfield Natural Meat and Oscar Mayer.
“Lunch is not a healthy option for children and should not be on the menu as part of the National School Lunch Program,” said Brian Ronholm, MA, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, in a opinion. “The Lunchables and similar lunch packs 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 children have healthier options in schools.”
None of the kits exceeded federal limits, but five of the 12 kits tested would exceed 50% of California's legal limits for metals. In its report, CR explained that California's limits were used “because there are no federal limits for heavy metals in most foods and California's lead and cadmium standards provide the highest level of protection available.”
Eric Boring, PhD, a chemist at Consumer Reports who led the tests, said in a opinion that he doesn't consider anyone should recurrently eat the packed lunch items, which generally include crackers, meat, and cheese.
“This is a relatively high dose of heavy metals considering the products' small serving sizes, ranging from just 2 to 4 ounces,” he said, based on an announcement within the CR report. “For example, the kits only provide about 15 percent of the 1,600 daily calories a typical 8-year-old needs, but with this small amount of food they are pretty close to the daily limit for lead. Even if a child's meal kit does not exceed the limits, it puts them in a danger zone as exposure from other sources is likely to occur. So if a child is consuming more than half the daily limit for lead from so few calories, there is little scope for potential exposure from other foods, drinking water or the environment.”
A petition On the Consumer Reports website, the decision for the USDA to remove Lunchables from the varsity lunch program was signed by 16,505 people as of Thursday morning.
In an announcement to Consumer Reports, Kraft Heinz responded: “All of our foods meet strict safety standards” and “lead and cadmium occur naturally in the environment and may be present in small amounts in food products.”
A USDA spokesperson said NPR that the department doesn't make product decisions on a person basis, but fairly sets requirements for the full nutrient content of meals consumed in a day or over the course of every week.
“So the lunchables described in the article would have to be combined with fruits, vegetables and milk,” the spokesperson told NPR. “In addition, if a school wants to offer a higher sodium product on one day, it must compensate for this with lower sodium products on other days.”