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What kid doesn’t love Lunchables?
For decades, an assortment of prepackaged snacks, from deli meats and crackers to pizza, have been a staple for generations of children. Thanks to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, school lunches have also become a menu item in many schools across the country in recent years.
But Consumer Reports is hopeful that will change.
After all, popular snacks may not be the healthiest option for growing children. Lunch boxes contain troublingly high levels of lead and sodium, a consumer watchdog group issued a warning Tuesday in a new report.
Eric Bowling, a Consumer Reports chemist who led the test, said in a statement: “I don’t think anyone should eat these products on a regular basis, and they shouldn’t be considered healthy school lunches.” Stated.
Do Lunchables contain lead?What you need to know after Consumer Reports releases guidance to USDA
Consumer Reports Finds High Levels of Lead and Sodium in Lunchable Foods
The advocacy group said it tested 12 commercially available lunchable products from Kraft Heinz and compared them to similar lunch and snack kits from other manufacturers.
Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, said that while none of the kits exceeded legal or regulatory limits, testing showed that the Lunchables kits contained “relatively high levels of lead.” , cadmium, and sodium were detected.
Cadmium, which is classified as a human carcinogen, has been linked to cancer as well as kidney and bone diseases, according to the World Health Organization. However, cadmium is a naturally occurring element found in soil, so it cannot be completely avoided.
When it comes to lead, there is no safe level for children to ingest, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“There’s a lot to be concerned about with these kits,” Amy Keating, a registered dietitian at Consumer Reports, said in a statement. “They are highly processed, and regularly eating processed meat, which is the main ingredient in many of these products, is associated with an increased risk of some cancers.”
Consumer Reports tests found that sodium levels in over-the-counter kits ranged from 460 milligrams to 740 milligrams per serving, which is “nearly a quarter to half of the recommended daily sodium intake for children.” It turned out to be.
All of the kits, except Lunchables Extra Cheese Pizza, contain “ubiquitous chemicals” so prevalent in the plastic that may be linked to reproductive issues, diabetes and some cancers. Contains harmful phthalates called phthalates.
School lunch policy
Consumer Reports also analyzed two Lunchables kits made specifically for schools eligible to serve children under the National School Lunch Program.
Although the group did not test the school kits for heavy metals or phthalates, the chemists looked at the nutritional information and ingredient lists of two products, Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Stackers and Extra Cheese Pizza, that were purchased over the counter. It was found that the sodium concentration was higher than that of .
Consumer Reports said Kraft Heinz added more whole grains to its crackers and more protein to its school lunch kits to meet requirements for federally sponsored school lunch programs overseen by the Department of Agriculture.
“The lunch menu is not a healthy option for children and should not be allowed on the menu as part of the National School Lunch Program,” Ronholm said in a statement.
Kraft Heinz told USA TODAY in a statement on Wednesday that the company is taking steps to make its Lunchables more nutritious, including adding fresh fruit to certain kits and reducing overall sodium by up to 26%. He said he had taken action.
According to the statement, “Many of our Lunchables products are quality sources of protein and provide nutrition through meats and cheeses.” We feed… We are proud of Lunchables and stand behind its quality and the integrity in its manufacturing.
CR petitions USDA to remove Lunchables from school lunch menus
As a result of the investigation, a nonprofit consumer group announced it has petitioned the Department of Agriculture to remove Lunchables from school cafeterias.
The petition had more than 14,100 signatures as of Wednesday morning.
A USDA spokesperson said in a Wednesday statement to USA TODAY that the agency “takes its responsibility to ensure school meals are of the highest nutritional quality very seriously.”
The USDA does not specifically allow or prohibit individual foods, but does have requirements to “address the overall content of the diet” on a daily or weekly basis, the statement said. That means lunchables must be combined with fruits, vegetables and milk, and schools need to balance the frequency with which they serve high-salt meals, officials said.
“That’s why we have prepared new proposed regulations aimed at aligning our programs with the latest nutritional science and modernizing our services to best serve our children,” the statement read. is written. “Fortifying school meals comes from a common goal we all share: helping children be healthy.”
Eric Lagatta covers the latest and trending news for USA TODAY. Please contact elagatta@gannett.com.
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