Test results from Consumer Reports, a nonprofit organization, show that Lunchables meal packages have comparatively high levels of lead and cadmium in addition to excessive salt. With millions of kids fed by the National School Lunch Program in the United States, the advocacy organization is now pleading with the USDA to discontinue Lunchables.
Consumer Reports is a nonprofit organization that conducts performance and safety tests on consumer items.
According to a recent analysis on Lunchables that was published on Tuesday, the organization discovered that the Lunchables that are provided to pupils in schools have more salt than the varieties that are accessible on retail shelves.
An archived page on the Kraft Heinz website states that two Lunchables packages, a cheese pizza and a turkey and cheddar cracker meal, were given to pupils under the National School Lunch Program last year.
Although salt, or sodium, is a necessary component of a balanced diet, consuming too much of it has been connected to health issues including high blood pressure, heart disease, and a higher risk of stroke.
As per the comments made by Kraft Heinz representatives and published in The Guardian, school lunch versions of Lunchables have the same level of lead as their store-bought equivalents, but they are similar in terms of protein and whole grains.
In testing twelve widely available lunch packages, including many Lunchables brands, the group claims to have detected lead and cadmium (a related dangerous metal) in the goods. As to Consumer Reports, the three Lunchables kits that tested the highest contained lead concentrations of at least 69%, which is the maximum permissible amount in California.
There are little federal regulations restricting the amount of lead that may be in food, even though California has the lowest permissible lead level of any state in the US.
Lead consumption in any form is quite dangerous, particularly for little children.
An extensive range of health issues have been associated with lead intake; young children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of lead since the metal impairs their development. Lead exposure increases a child's chance of developing behavioral issues, intellectual difficulties, and seizures, among other ailments.
Consumer Reports also discovered that phthalates, which are plastic compounds connected to serious health issues including diabetes and certain types of cancer, were detected in 11 out of the 12 lunch kits that consumers had tested.
Consumer Reports is pleading with the USDA to ban Lunchables from schools in light of its results. Over 14,000 people signed the petition (accessible here) in the first 24 hours of its debut.
"The National School Lunch Program should not include lunchables on the menu as they are not a healthy option for children," said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, in a statement. "We evaluated Lunchables and comparable lunch boxes, and both had alarming salt content and other substances that over time might cause major health issues. The National School Lunch Program should no longer include Lunchables, and the USDA should make sure that students have access to better food alternatives.
A Kraft Heinz representative defended the company's lunch offerings in a statement to CBS News, but she did not refute the kits' excessive salt and lead content.
Many of our Lunchables items provide nutrients via the meats and cheeses they include, making them a fantastic source of protein. A representative for Lunchables told CBS News, "We have taken great steps to improve the nutrition profile of Lunchables, including reducing the sodium in all Lunchables crackers by 26%."
"Processed foods that are arbitrary labeled as "ultra-processed" are not inherently less nutritious, according to current evidence. In actuality, a lot of processed meals have extra nutrients added to them, giving the user even additional advantages. Scientific data that evaluates the nutritional worth of the whole product—rather than just one component, such an ingredient or processing level—should form the basis for food categorization."
Consumer Reports is a nonprofit organization that conducts performance and safety tests on consumer items.
According to a recent analysis on Lunchables that was published on Tuesday, the organization discovered that the Lunchables that are provided to pupils in schools have more salt than the varieties that are accessible on retail shelves.
An archived page on the Kraft Heinz website states that two Lunchables packages, a cheese pizza and a turkey and cheddar cracker meal, were given to pupils under the National School Lunch Program last year.
Although salt, or sodium, is a necessary component of a balanced diet, consuming too much of it has been connected to health issues including high blood pressure, heart disease, and a higher risk of stroke.
As per the comments made by Kraft Heinz representatives and published in The Guardian, school lunch versions of Lunchables have the same level of lead as their store-bought equivalents, but they are similar in terms of protein and whole grains.
In testing twelve widely available lunch packages, including many Lunchables brands, the group claims to have detected lead and cadmium (a related dangerous metal) in the goods. As to Consumer Reports, the three Lunchables kits that tested the highest contained lead concentrations of at least 69%, which is the maximum permissible amount in California.
There are little federal regulations restricting the amount of lead that may be in food, even though California has the lowest permissible lead level of any state in the US.
Lead consumption in any form is quite dangerous, particularly for little children.
An extensive range of health issues have been associated with lead intake; young children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of lead since the metal impairs their development. Lead exposure increases a child's chance of developing behavioral issues, intellectual difficulties, and seizures, among other ailments.
Consumer Reports also discovered that phthalates, which are plastic compounds connected to serious health issues including diabetes and certain types of cancer, were detected in 11 out of the 12 lunch kits that consumers had tested.
Consumer Reports is pleading with the USDA to ban Lunchables from schools in light of its results. Over 14,000 people signed the petition (accessible here) in the first 24 hours of its debut.
"The National School Lunch Program should not include lunchables on the menu as they are not a healthy option for children," said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, in a statement. "We evaluated Lunchables and comparable lunch boxes, and both had alarming salt content and other substances that over time might cause major health issues. The National School Lunch Program should no longer include Lunchables, and the USDA should make sure that students have access to better food alternatives.
A Kraft Heinz representative defended the company's lunch offerings in a statement to CBS News, but she did not refute the kits' excessive salt and lead content.
Many of our Lunchables items provide nutrients via the meats and cheeses they include, making them a fantastic source of protein. A representative for Lunchables told CBS News, "We have taken great steps to improve the nutrition profile of Lunchables, including reducing the sodium in all Lunchables crackers by 26%."
"Processed foods that are arbitrary labeled as "ultra-processed" are not inherently less nutritious, according to current evidence. In actuality, a lot of processed meals have extra nutrients added to them, giving the user even additional advantages. Scientific data that evaluates the nutritional worth of the whole product—rather than just one component, such an ingredient or processing level—should form the basis for food categorization."
