Kraft Heinz did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Consumer Reports.

In April 2024, Consumer Reports tests found that the various Lunchables kits available in supermarkets contained potentially high levels of lead, phthalates (chemicals found in plastic) and very high levels of sodium. Although CR didn’t test the school lunch versions of the Lunchables kits, a review of their nutrition facts showed that they had even more sodium than the store-bought versions.

Consumer Reports requested Department of Agriculture, asking the agency to set stricter standards so highly processed, sodium-packed kits are not offered as part of the school lunch program, which is meant to provide healthy, reduced-price or free lunches to students. .

“When you consider the high sodium content and our tests that showed the presence of heavy metals like lead, it’s clear that such products do not belong in the school lunch program,” says Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports. . “In fact, they shouldn’t have been eligible in the first place. Our nation’s food policies should maintain stricter standards for the school lunch program to ensure that millions of children have access to the healthier options they deserve.”

The CR tests did not influence Kraft Heinz’s decision to pull Lunchables from the school lunch program, the company told Reuters.

However, in an Oct. 30 earnings call, Kraft Heinz CEO Carlos Abrams-Rivera noted that “the negative publicity we’re getting from that fraudulent interest group seems to be lingering longer” as part of an answer to a question about a decrease. in Lunchables sales.