Kraft Heinz’s Lunchables have high amounts of sodium and lead, Consumer Reports finds

Dive Brief:

• Kraft Heinz’s Lunchables and similar lunch kits contain “relatively high” amounts of lead, cadmium and sodium, according to Consumer Reports. The consumer watchdog urged the USDA to remove Lunchables from the school lunch program and “give our nation’s school children healthier food choices.”
• Consumer Reports found that none of the 12 kits tested exceeded legal or regulatory limits. Still, five of 12 tested products would have exposed a person to 50% or more of California’s maximum allowable amount of lead or cadmium that can cause developmental and health problems.
• In the report, Kraft Heinz said it is working to reduce sodium levels. It added that “from a nutritional standpoint, our [National School Lunch Program-approved Lunchables can be part of a well-balanced school meal.” 

Dive Insight:

Kraft Heinz’s 35-year-old Lunchables brand has turned into a lucrative franchise for the packaged food giant. The reach increased last year after the company changed two of its Lunchables — Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Stackers and Extra Cheesy Pizza Lunchables — to qualify for the country’s National School Lunch Program.

The move made those versions eligible to be served to nearly 30 million children and better positioned the brand to become top-of-mind with more consumers.

Lunch kits have been popular for decades, most notably among children as a convenient snack or for lunch. 

It’s uncertain what impact the findings from Consumer Reports will have on the long-term consumption of Lunchables and similar meal kits that were tested. But for now, the findings place Kraft Heinz, Target and Smithfield Foods — responsible for nearly all of the meal kits that were reviewed — in a position of having to defend their products. 

Cadmium has been linked to cancer as well as kidney and bone disease, according to the World Health Organization. Lead and cadmium naturally occur in soil, though some areas contain more than others. Consumer Reports added that too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure. An estimated 14% of children and teens have prehypertension or hypertension, according to the group.

Consumer Reports noted that while the two school lunch versions of Lunchables aren’t being promoted as health foods, it’s reasonable for consumers to think that they are somehow better than the versions sold in stores. It found the Lunchables kits served in schools have higher levels of sodium than the Lunchables available in stores.

“Having that seal of approval by a school is providing parents and children a message that these kits are a healthy choice,” Jennifer Pomeranz, an associate professor of public health policy and management at the NYU School of Global Public Health, said in the watchdog report.

The USDA told CNN that it “takes very seriously our responsibility to ensure school meals are of the highest nutritional quality.”

The department also noted that it doesn’t allow or disallow individual food items. “Our requirements address the overall content of meals – some of them on a daily basis and others on a weekly basis. So, the Lunchables described in the article would need to be paired with fruit, vegetables and milk. In addition, a school who wanted to serve a higher sodium product one day has to balance that with lower sodium items on others.”

In a statement to Food Dive, a Kraft Heinz spokesperson said the company has taken steps to improve the nutritional profile of Lunchables to ensure they meet the needs of consumers.

After noticing a 500% increase in social media searches for “Lunchables with fruits and vegetables,” for example, it partnered with Fresh Del Monte Produce last August to introduce the meal kit with pineapple, clementines, grapes and apples. It also has reduced the sodium in all Lunchables crackers by 26%. At the same time, it argued that many Lunchables are a good source of protein, offering nutrients through meats and cheeses.

“We are proud of Lunchables and stand by the quality and integrity that goes into making them,” the spokesperson said. “According to current science, processed foods arbitrarily classified as ‘ultra-processed’ are not necessarily less nutritious. In fact, many processed foods contain added nutrients, providing even more benefits to the consumer.”