Revealing The Truth: Should Parents Rethink Lunchables For Kids?

THOSE PICKY EATERS

Those of us who have children know how hard it can be sometimes to get them to eat anything that's good for them. I remember when I had my first child; I was NEVER going to introduce him to pop; to chocolate. I was going to raise a healthy kid who didn't have the crazy sugar cravings that led to poor food choices. Lunchables were introduced in 1988, and nationwide in 1989.

Well...All that changed when I came home from work one day, and my Mother-in-Law had just given my son his first sip of pop. Then another day, his first piece of cake. It was a battle that I didn't win.

So many of us struggle with trying to find something that our kids will eat, and so things like Lunchables seem like a 'healthier' option than so many other things they could be eating.

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LUNCHABLES ARE NOT 'THE HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE'

Unfortunately, we are now finding out that although Lunchables may have some nutritional benefits, we have to ask ourselves if those benefits outweigh the dangers of eating Lunchable products. If Lunchables are a regular part of your kid's diet, you may want to change things up.

Consumer Reports says Lunchables contain 'troublesome levels of lead and sodium, according to CBS News.

Lunchables were tested along with other lunch kits from different companies and are cause for alarm due to the highly processed meat, that has been linked to increased risk for various types of cancers in studies.

To their credit, Lunchables have NOT exceeded the legal limit. However, according to California standards, 5 of the 12 tested products would expose an individual to 50% or more of the allowable amount of lead that can cause developmental problems in children.

SOME OF THE FINDINGS

• Turkey and Cheddar Cracker Stackers Lunchables- 3.2 ounces- For kids 4 to 8 years old, this Lunchable held 74% of California's level allowed for lead, and 49% of daily recommendations for sodium.

CONSUMER REPORTS

Eric Boring, who is a CR Chemist that led the testing had this to say:

"The kits provide only about 15% of the 1,600 daily calories that a typical 8-year-old requires, but that small amount of food puts them fairly close to the daily maximum limit for lead, so if a child gets more than half of the daily limit for lead from so few calories, there's little room for potential exposure from other foods, drinking water or the environment. We don't think anybody should regularly eat these products, and they definitely shouldn't be considered a healthy school lunch."

So what does Kraft Heinz, the creator of Lunchables have to say? the quote is from a 'Spokesperson', rather than an individual:

"Many of our Lunchables products are a good source of protein, offering nutrients through meats and cheeses. We've taken great steps to improve the nutrition profile of Lunchables, including recently unveiling Lunchables with Fresh Fruit, in partnership with Fresh Del Monte, and reducing the sodium in all Lunchables crackers by 26%. According to current science, processed foods arbitrarily classified as 'ultra-processed' are not necessarily less nutritious. Many processed foods contain added nutrients, providing even more benefits to the consumer. The classification of foods should be based on scientific evidence that includes an assessment of the nutritional value of the whole product, not restricted to one element such as a single ingredient or the level of processing."

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