Why Kraft Heinz is pulling Lunchables from school lunches

Kraft Heinz just removed Lunchables from the National School Lunch Program.

Available in a variety of kits from “Turkey and Cheddar Cracker Stackers” to “Extra Cheesy Pizza,” the pre-packaged children’s meals have been sold in cafeterias for years.

Now, the food conglomerate is dropping two of the grab-and-go options that are typically sold with a juice pouch and two cookies due to a lack of demand.

“Last year, we brought two NSLP compliant Lunchables options to schools that had increased protein,” Kraft Heinz said in a statement sent to Fox Business. “While many school administrators were excited to have these options, the demand did not meet our targets.

“This happens occasionally across our brand portfolio, especially as we explore new sales channels,” the company added, noting how the sales of the two products made up for less than one percent of all Lunchables sales. “Lunchables products are not available in schools this year and we hope to revisit at a future date.”

Back in April, Consumer Reports, a nonprofit consumer organization, raised concerns about the NSLP Lunchables compliants, calling for them to be removed from cafeterias because of concerning nutritional contents.

Consumer Reports tested over 12 store-bought Lunchables against other brand products. In their analysis, they found that the Lunchables had concerningly high levels of sodium and processed food. As a result, they warned against “regularly” consuming the products.

“We don’t think anybody should regularly eat these products, and they definitely shouldn’t be considered a healthy school lunch,” Eric Boring, the leading chemist for Consumer Reports concluded, while Amy Keating, a registered dietician for Consumer Reports agreed.

Keating remarked: “There’s a lot to be concerned about in these kits. They’re highly processed, and regularly eating processed meat, a main ingredient in many of these products, has been linked to increased risk of some cancers.”

After Kraft Heinz confirmed they would no longer be distributing or selling Lunchables in school cafeterias, Brian Ronholm, the Consumer Reports director of food policy, expressed his satisfaction with the decision. Ronholm said that Lunchables “have no place on the school lunch menu.”

While Consumer Reports found Lunchables to be highly processed with little amounts of lead and cadmium, Kraft Heinz told ABC News the contents of the packaged food do not exceed any federal limits.

“All Lunchables products meet strict safety standards set by government agencies" adding that "none of the food they tested exceeded any legal or regulatory limits,” they said.