The school cafeteria versions of popular kids’ grocery store snack kit Lunchables is packed with too much sodium, a consumer watchdog group warned on Tuesday.

Lunchables in School Lunch Programs

Lunchables developed two new versions of the snack kit specifically to be available nationally
as part of school lunch programs
for the first time last year. But a new report from Consumer Reports said it recently compared the nutritional profiles of two Lunchables kits served in schools and found they have even higher levels of sodium than the Lunchables kits consumers can buy in stores.

Excess Sodium in Store-Bought and School Lunch Versions

Consumer Reports said sodium levels in the store-bought lunch and snack kits it tested ranged from 460 to 740 milligrams per serving, or “nearly a quarter to half of a child’s daily recommended limit for sodium.” The group found that sodium levels in the turkey and cheddar school versions of Lunchables contained 930 mg of sodium compared to 740 mg in the store-bought version.

Serious Health Risks

Cadmium has been linked to kidney and bone disease and cancer,
according to the World Health Organization.
As natural elements, heavy metals such as lead and cadmium are in the soil in which crops are grown and thus can’t be avoided. Some crop fields and regions, however, contain more
toxic levels than others, partly due to the overuse of metal-containing pesticides and ongoing industrial pollution.

School Lunch Program and Lunchables

The non-profit consumer group said it has petitioned the US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the
federally assisted school meal program, to remove Lunchables food kits from school cafeterias, as a result.

“Lunchables are not a healthy option for kids and shouldn’t be allowed on the menu as part of the National School Lunch Program,” said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports. “The Lunchables and similar lunch kits 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 that kids in schools have healthier options.”

Improving Nutrition Profile

Kraft Heinz told Highly Respectable News in a statement that the company has taken steps to improve the nutrition profile of Lunchables. The effort, it said, includes launching Lunchables with fresh fruit, in partnership with Fresh Del Monte, and “reducing the sodium in all Lunchables crackers by 26%.”

The Concern of Ultrprocessed Foods

Consumer Reports also pointed to concerning additives included in many of the Lunchable products. Additives are ingredients added by manufacturers to stimulate appetite and extend shelf life.

The presence of additives is a key indicator of whether a food is
ultraprocessed, said Carlos Monteiro, emeritus professor at the school of public health at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
In 2009 Monteiro created
NOVA, a system of classifying food into categories from minimally processed to ultraprocessed.

“In terms of food processing, additives are essential to creating ultraprocessed foods,” Monteiro said. “Additives in ultraprocessed foods are those that use color, texture, flavor, and everything people like. So these products are made appealing not with real food, but with additives.”

Take Action

Food additives are considered “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) by the US Food and Drug Administration, but not everyone agrees. Watchdog groups like the
Center for Science in the Public Interest and the
Environmental Working Group (EWG) provide lists of concerning chemicals found in food, as well as added sugars, salt, and fats. A growing number of
grocery stores and a few
restaurants have also taken steps to ban worrisome chemicals from foods.