According to the American consumer product testing magazine “Consumer Reports,” many children’s lunch foods, including deli meats, cheese, and prepackaged cookies, are not the healthiest choice for snacks or lunch for kids, as these products contain worrying levels of lead and sodium.
Consumer Reports (CR), an advocacy organization, tested Lunchables produced by Kraft Heinz Company, as well as similar lunch and snack packs produced by other manufacturers. They found that these popular products for children’s convenient snacks or meals over the decades have concerning issues.
Registered dietitian Amy Keating from CR said, “There are many aspects of these packages that are worth paying attention to. They are highly processed, and consuming processed meats (a primary ingredient in many of these products) regularly is associated with an increased risk of certain cancers.”
CR found that although no single packaged product exceeded legal limits or regulations, among the 12 products tested, 5 had lead or cadmium metal levels that were 50% or more of California’s maximum allowable amount. These heavy metals can lead to developmental and other problems in children.
A 3.2-ounce Turkey and Cheddar Cracker Stackers Lunchables contained 74% of the allowed lead content in California and 49% of the recommended daily sodium intake for children aged 4 to 8. The lead and sodium levels in the other products tested by CR were lower.
CR chemist Eric Boring, who led the testing, stated, “The calorie content provided by these kits accounts for only around 15% of the typical 1,600 calorie daily requirement for an 8-year-old child. However, the lead content in such a small amount of food is close to their daily maximum limit.”
“If a child were to exceed half of their daily limit of lead intake from such few calories, the amount of lead they would consume from other foods would be minimal,” Boring said. “We believe that no one should regularly consume these products, and they should definitely not be considered as healthy school lunches.”
However, a spokesperson for Kraft Heinz defended the company’s 35-year-old products.
“Many of our lunch foods are good sources of protein, providing nutrition through meats and cheese,” the spokesperson said in an email. “We have taken numerous measures to improve the nutritional status of our lunch foods, including recently partnering with Fresh Del Monte to introduce Lunchables with Fresh Fruit and reducing the sodium content in all Lunchables cookies by 26%.”
The Kraft Heinz spokesperson added, “Food categorization should be based on scientific evidence, including an assessment of the overall nutritional value of the product, rather than focusing solely on individual components or processing levels.”
Responsibilities Editor: Wang Hongsheng