Lunchables get early dismissal: Kraft Heinz pulls the iconic snack from school lunches

Students may not spot the iconic childhood lunch kit, Lunchables, at school anymore after it was pulled from the National School Lunch Program, NSLP, after demand did not meet its target, according to its owner, Kraft Heinz.

"This happens occasionally across our broad portfolio, especially as we explore new sales channels," Kraft Heinz told USA TODAY in a statement.

Kraft Heinz announced it removed Lunchables, its packaged lunch brand and a childhood staple for many, from the National School Lunch Program on Monday because of a lack of demand over a year after its meal kits were added.

In grocery stores, various Lunchables packages line the cold foods aisles, plastic trays containing crackers, ham and cheese; pizzas that could easily be put together; nachos with cheese dip and salsa; and more. Some include a juice pouch and dessert, like gummy worms or Oreos.

In schools, however, the FDA allowed two Lunchables kits to be sold, according to Consumer Reports:

• Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Stackers
• Extra Cheesy Pizza meals

“Last year, we brought two NSLP compliant Lunchables options to schools that had increased protein," the company said. "While many school administrators were excited to have these options, the demand did not meet our targets."

The lunch kits made up less than 1% of Lunchables' sales, according to the company, and the "business impact is negligible.”

Controversial school lunch

The decision to include these kits sparked controversy as those made specifically for schools contained higher levels of sodium compared to their grocery store counter parts, according to Consumer Reports, which "applauds" the news of its removal while calling on the USDA to adopt stricter requirements to be eligible for the program.

“Lunchables and other lunch kits with concerning levels of sodium and harmful chemicals have no place on the school lunch menu,” Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, said in a statement. “We’re pleased that Heinz Kraft has pulled Lunchables from the school lunch program after lower than expected demand from school districts across the country."

The removal is also happening after Consumer Reports and More Perfect Union renewed its call to remove the product from schools, where it could also be purchased by low-income students receiving free and reduced-price meals through the school lunch program, and delivered a petition to the Department of Agriculture with almost 50,000 signatures in September, according to a press release published by Consumer Reports on Monday.

"The USDA should maintain stricter eligibility standards for the school lunch programs so that the millions of kids that depend on it get the healthier options they deserve,” said Ronholm.

What is the National School Lunch Program?

It is a "federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential childcare institutions," according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The program provides "nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches" to students while implementing other programs that "promote healthy eating habits and physical activity at school."

However, Consumer Reports believed the lunch kits do not meet those requirements.

High levels of lead and sodium

Consumer Reports warned the public about the high levels of lead and sodium found in Lunchables in April, when it published a study that tested 12 store-bought Lunchables products and compared them to similar lunch and snack kits from other manufacturers.

“We don’t think anybody should regularly eat these products, and they definitely shouldn’t be considered a healthy school lunch,” Eric Boring, a chemist at Consumer Reports who lead the testing, previously said in a statement.

Although none of the kits exceeded any legal or regulatory limit, the tests uncovered “relatively high levels of lead, cadmium and sodium” in the Lunchables kits, said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports.

However, Kraft Heinz said the Consumer Reports study is "misleading."

"We are extremely disappointed with the reporting from Consumer Reports and believe the results of their study are misleading, causing undue concern over the safety of our products," Kraft Heinz previously told USA TODAY in a statement. "The fact is that all Lunchables products meet strict safety standards set by government agencies. Consumer Reports admits that none of the food they tested exceeded any legal or regulatory limits, but they chose to bury that fact."

In Consumer Reports' reporting on metals, the results of the study are based on California's maximum allowable dose for heavy metals, the Chicago, Illinois-headquartered food company said.

All Kraft Heinz's products, including Lunchables, "tested well below the acceptable limits," according to the company.

What is cadmium?

Classified as a human carcinogen, cadmium has been linked to kidney and bone disease, as well as cancer, according to the World Health Organization.  However, because cadmium is a natural element present in the soil, it can't be altogether avoided.

As for lead, no safe level exists for children to consume, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes.

All but one of the kits, Lunchables Extra Cheesy Pizza, contained harmful phthalates – dubbed “everywhere chemicals” for their prevalence in plastic that can be linked to reproductive issues, diabetes and some cancers.

Meeting meal program's requirements

While the USDA doesn't specifically allow or prohibit individual food items, the agency has requirements in place to "address the overall content of meals," whether on a daily or weekly basis, the USDA previously told USA TODAY in a statement.

Meaning, Lunchables would need to be paired with fruit, vegetables and milk, and schools would have to balance how often they serve high-sodium meals, the agency said.

"This is why we have a new proposed rule which aims to align our programs with the latest nutrition science and modernize our services to best serve kids," the statement read. "Strengthening the nutrition of school meals comes from a common goal we all share: to help kids be healthy."

To meet the requirements of the federally assisted school meal program overseen by the USDA, Kraft Heinz added more whole grains to the crackers and more protein to the school Lunchable kits, Consumer Reports said.

Kraft Heinz previously told USA TODAY in a statement Wednesday the company has taken steps to make Lunchables more nutritious by, for instance, adding fresh fruits to certain kits and reducing the overall sodium by as much as 26%.

"Many of our Lunchables products are a good source of protein, offering nutrients through meats and cheeses," according to the statement. "All our foods meet strict safety standards that we happily feed to our own families ... We are proud of Lunchables and stand by the quality and integrity that goes into making them. 

Julia Gomez is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com

Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@gannett.com.