Lunchables removed from National School Lunch Program

Food and beverage manufacturer Kraft Heinz says it no longer is serving the Lunchables meals it created for the National School Lunch Program.

The Associated Press reports that the company introduced the two packaged meals — one with pizza and the other a turkey, cheddar cheese and cracker plate — at the beginning of the 2023-24 year. At the time, Kraft Heinz said the offerings were protein-enriched and contained reduced levels of saturated fat and sodium to meet the requirements of the national free and reduced-price school lunch program.

But Consumer Reports petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ban Lunchables and similar processed meal kits from schools after its tests showed the school-approved Lunchables contained more sodium than the store varieties.

The organization also reported that commercially available Lunchables had more lead compared with ready-made meals made several other companies. The Center for Science in the Public Interest called having Lunchables in cafeterias “a highly questionable move for school nutrition."

Kraft Heinz attributed the decision to pull out of the market served by the National School Lunch Program to a lack of demand.

"While many school administrators were excited to have these options, the demand did not meet our targets,” the company said. “...Lunchables products are not available in schools this year and we hope to revisit at a future date.”