Mouldy cheese? False nutrition claims? Unpacking the Lunchly drama

Neither Lunchly nor Lunchables are healthy lunch options, say experts

⭐️HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW⭐️

• MrBeast, KSI and Logan Paul released a lunch product called Lunchly in September.
• They claim it’s healthier than similar products like Lunchables.
• Some experts say this isn’t exactly true.
• Some have also complained they’ve found mouldy cheese in the products. 
• Read on to find out what’s really going on. ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

You can’t get Lunchly in Canada, but you have probably been hearing about it.

Kids across Canada have been telling us that it’s creating quite the buzz in classrooms.

Why? Probably because of all the drama around the products since their release. 

At the end of September, influencers KSI and Logan Paul — the faces behind Prime energy drinks — along with YouTube giant MrBeast released a new lunch product in the United States.

The product, called Lunchly, isn’t very different from the Lunchables you can get here, but the creators say it’s a “healthier alternative” to its competitors. 

But is it?

Critics say it isn’t actually a healthy option and some have claimed the product could be recalled over allegations around mouldy cheese.

Claims around nutrition are deceiving

Lunchly claims that its products are healthier than Lunchables, but to know the truth, you have to look closely at the products.

• Why are Prime drinks so popular? Canadian kids weigh in

On its website, it even compares the nutrition information of the three Lunchly types — Pizza, Nachos and Turkey Stack ‘Ems — with the Lunchables equivalents. 

But some aren’t buying it.

Doctor Mike, a physician and YouTuber with more than 12 million subscribers, posted a video on Sept. 23 reacting to Lunchly’s claims. 

He said that, to start, Lunchables were already not a healthy option for kids. 

“They’re often too high in sodium, saturated fat and added sugars, and don’t use healthy, whole food ingredients,” he said in the video.

• 5 food hacks for back to school

He said that Lunchables are an example of ultra-processed foods, which “aren’t healthy to consume often, period.” 

In the end, he said that although Lunchly had some marginally better scores in terms of nutrition, he didn’t consider them meaningfully more healthy than Lunchables. 

Frances Fleming-Milici, the director of marketing initiatives at the University of Connecticut Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health, said she wouldn’t consider Lunchly or Lunchables healthy options for kids.

“These are ultra-processed meal kits and do not contain the types of foods or beverages that are part of balanced, nutritious diets,” she told CBC Kids News in an email. 

She said neither product meets the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition standards for a school lunch.

She said Lunchly kits do have less sugar and fewer calories than Lunchables, but only because they’re using artificial sugar in the drink component whereas Lunchables use real sugar. 

The problem is, Fleming-Milici said, artificial sweeteners are not recommended for kids because they’re not well studied in children. 

She also said the inclusion of electrolyte measurements on Lunchly nutrition facts is a “marketing gimmick.”
 
“Do kids really need their electrolytes boosted in a meal kit filled with food that is high in saturated fat, salt and sugar?” 

She said there are better ways to get electrolytes. 

Mouldy cheese and recall claims

Weeks after Lunchly’s release, several influencers posted online claiming they had found mouldy cheese in their Lunchly boxes.

That included longtime MrBeast critic and YouTuber Rosanna Pansino, who made a video unboxing a Lunchly with mouldy cheese that she said was opened months before its expiration date.

In a video posted to X on Oct. 28, Logan Paul addressed the allegations.

“The fact is, the USDA inspects every finished food lot and approves it before even leaving our facility,” he said.

He acknowledged that it’s always possible for issues to happen in transit, like seals breaking, or at the store level with rough handling.

“But just like any product you buy, problems can arise and our retail partners are great, they’ll offer a full refund,” he said.

• MrBeast is being sued. Here’s why

CBC Kids News reached out to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ask if it was aware of any complaints about mouldy cheese.

The FDA said that, as of Nov. 7, it had  received “more than 10 complaints” related to Lunchly products that are under evaluation. 

There were also rumours that Lunchly products were being recalled due to “public health” concerns. 

In the video posted to X, Paul said the rumours weren’t true.

The FDA confirmed with CBC Kids News that Lunchly products are not currently on their recall list.

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