Kraft Heinz removes Lunchables from school meals program

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CBS News

Updated on: November 12, 2024 / 5:31 PM EST


Kraft Heinz is pulling Lunchables — prepackaged boxes of deli meat, cheese and crackers — from the program that provides free and discounted meals to about 30 million low-income school children, the food conglomerate said on Tuesday.

Consumer Reports applauded the move, months after the advocacy group sounded alarms about the product popular with kids, saying its tests found troubling levels of lead and sodium in them.

"Lunchables and other lunch kits with concerning levels of sodium and harmful chemicals have no place on the school lunch menu," Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, stated on Tuesday. "We're pleased that Heinz Kraft has pulled Lunchables from the school lunch program after lower than expected demand from school districts across the country."

In an Oct. 30 earnings call, Kraft Heinz CEO Carlos Abrams-Rivera called Lunchables a "very important" part of the company's business, while noting what he described as "misleading" negative publicity regarding the product. Kraft Heinz changed two of its Lunchables — Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Stackers and Extra Cheesy Pizza Lunchables — to qualify for the USDA-run program. Sales of those two products were less than 1% of overall Lunchables sales, so the business impact is negligible, according to the company.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kraft-heinz-lunchables-lead/

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Link to USDA National School Lunch Program FACT SHEET (PDF) - https://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource-files/NSLPFactSheet.pdf

[hlthe2b]

1. Michelle Obama was so right about the school lunch program. I often hated what my school provided all those many

years ago, but it was cooked and not pre-packaged garbage. And for that to be what they provide to kids who already are lacking in nutrition at home. Good gawd.

[Jacson6]

2. I packed a brown bag lunch. With a sandwich, apple and some chips/cookies for all of my school days.

Of course, that was 50 years ago and things were cheaper then.

[jimfields33]

3. Me too. Our school didn't have a cafeteria and we had fun

Kids would trade treats sometime and maybe even sandwiches. I feel sorry for kids today. Everyone eats the same crap. Got to embrace conformity.

[tinymontgomery]

4. We used to trade sandwiches all the time

drove my mom crazy, Back in the early 60's and 70's most kids I went to school with brown bagged their lunch.

[jimfields33]

5. Absolutely. Such fun.

[mysitcfairy]

6. I was lucky

I lived 3 blocks from school so I went home for lunch. My aunt always had something waiting. My best friend who lived a block away also ate lunch at home so it gave us together time. Occasionally we ate at school, especially on fried chicken day, and it was a treat.

[OldBaldy1701E]

9. I was kind of both.

I elementary school, just over half brought their own lunch. I did so for a while, then I switched to the cafeteria stuff later on.

Later on, I lived right on the other side of a golf course, hole number 13, which was next to the high school. I went home for lunch my senior year. (The only year I attended that school.)

[FakeNoose]

7. It sounds like the Lunchables were withdrawn because schools aren't ordering them

This is just profit motive, as in "The Lunchables aren't moving so let's find something else the schools will buy."

[womanofthehills]

11. Vani Hari, the Food Babe, had a campaign against Lunchables

They have lots of artificial ingredients, added sugar & corn syrup, nitrates etc. Basically- not much real or healthy food esp for a child.

Also lots of sodium and a touch of lead. I bought one once and it was gross.

Lead now also being found in the more expensive dark chocolate bars.

[Farmer-Rick]

8. I lived in Amish country when young

We weren't Amish or Mennonite. But the women worked in the cafeteria. They made the best food. I had to carry my lunch to school. And I always wanted to buy lunch.

Once in awhile, I would use my own money to buy lunch. Especially if they were serving chicken corn chowder. It was the best chicken corn chowder I have ever had. I eventually got their recipe.

Seems the women grew their own saffron and would bring it in and put it in the soup, against regulations. I overheard one woman scolding another for putting "that spice", saffron, in the soup.

That's why they got the nickname the yellow dutch because of cooking with saffron. It made for delicious school lunches.

[OldBaldy1701E]

10. Sorry, had to do it.