(CMR) Popular kids snack Lunchables contains relatively high levels of lead and sodium, a consumer watchdog group in the United States has warned, urging the federal government to remove it from the national free and reduced-price school lunch program.
Consumer Reports (CR), a consumer advocacy group, said it tested 12 store-bought versions of Lunchables — which are made by Kraft Heinz — along with similar lunch and snack kits and found “relatively high levels of lead and cadmium” in the Lunchables kits.
Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, said the meal kits aren't healthy for children.
“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,” Ronholm said in a statement.
Consumer Reports said it detected lead and cadmium in tests and also observed the presence of phthalates, which can impact reproductive health and the human hormonal system.
A USDA spokesperson said the department doesn't allow or disallow individual food items, but rather sets requirements for the overall nutritional content of meals on a daily or weekly basis.
“So, the Lunchables described in the article would need to be paired with fruit, vegetables and milkIn addition. A school who wanted to serve a higher sodium product one day has to balance that with lower sodium items on others,” the spokesperson tolf NPR.
They added that the USDA “takes very seriously our responsibility to ensure school meals are of the highest nutritional quality” and that it has been helping more schools use local ingredients and cook additional meals from scratch.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Kraft Heinz, which makes Lunchables, said all of its products meet strict safety standards and that lead and cadmium occur naturally in the environment and may show up in food at low levels.
“We are proud of Lunchables and stand by the quality and integrity that goes into making them,” they said.
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