Influencers MrBeast, Logan Paul, and KSI aim to dominate the lunchroom with their new brand, Lunchly — which they say offers “healthier” fare than Oscar Mayer’s snack-time superstar Lunchables.
Some nutrition experts, however, say they’re full of it.
‘This crap is not what kids need. The ingredients are nothing but sugar, seed oils, processed grains, and chemicals.’
Lunchly’s lunch kits combine MrBeast’s Feastables chocolate bars and Logan Paul and KSI’s Prime hydration drink along with pizza, nachos, or turkey and cheese cracker stacks for what the brand describes as “reimagined lunchtime fuel.”
Dubious claims
A visit to the Lunchly website shows a side-by-side comparison of the Lunchly products with the Lunchables version. Each Lunchly product contains less sugar, fewer calories, and additional electrolytes when measured against the competitor, seemingly supporting claims that the lunches are a healthier option for kids.
But according to health and nutrition advocate Calley Means, these numbers just mean Lunchly is pushing a smaller dose of poison.
“This crap is not what kids need,” the author and speaker posted on X. “The ingredients are nothing but sugar, seed oils, processed grains, and chemicals. There’s a childhood chronic disease crisis. We have allies ready to work with you at any time on healthier options.”
Fellow wellness influencer Christopher McIlvaine, better known on social media as Cooking with Chris, was even more blunt: “Please don’t let your kids eat this,” he posted.
Sugar bomb
Align asked leading childhood nutrition researcher Dr. Michael Goran to give his take on the Lunchly lunches.
“I’m not going to have great things to say about this,” said Goran immediately after looking at the ingredients and nutrition label for “The Pizza” Lunchly. “It’s not something I would give my kids.”
Goran’s first critique was the added sugar in almost every component of the meal. He said items like pizza sauce did not need added sugar, and there are plenty of pizza sauces without them on the market. In place of a chocolate bar with added sugars, Goran recommends a whole fruit or unsweetened yogurt.
Moving to the Prime electrolyte drink, Goran called it “a bit of a mess,” noting that he advises against kids consuming alternative sweeteners such as the sucralose found in Prime. Instead, he offers water or sparkling water as a healthier option.
Brain drain
“Kids are particularly susceptible to added sugars, not just for the obvious effects like body weight or long-term risk for diabetes, but also for memory, concentration, ability to learn,” said Goran.
He elaborated that studies show energy spikes and dips from added sugars, making it difficult for kids to make it through the school day without feeling exhausted. Alternative sweeteners like sucralose show similar impacts on energy. Goran also noted that some oils in the ingredient list cause inflammation.
“I don’t think there’d be many moms out there who would want to give these products to their kids,” concluded Goran, while acknowledging that many parents could be deceived by Lunchly’s dubious health claims.
“I think there’s a problem because kids generally aren’t taught nutrition in school. So there’s this big mismatch,” said Dr. Goran.
Nutrition 101
This information gap is one of the reasons Dr. Goran wrote the book “Sugarproof,” which reveals the dangers of sugar to children’s health and teaches parents what to do about it. He hopes the book helps bridge the gap between nutrition research and parents’ understanding.
To make the information in his book more available, Dr. Goran has started hosting workshops and giving presentations at parent meetings. He is also looking into making a school-based program to teach about sugar consumption and nutrition.
As for influencers like the Lunchly trio, Goran said he’d like to see them use their reach more thoughtfully. “[They have the] potential to have a huge positive influence on future health and nutritional development and nutritional IQ of kids. Marketing these kinds of products is only going to make that worse.”
He also proposed “more guidelines and regulations on what can be marketed to kids nutritionally” as in other countries.
While Goran’s resident state of California will soon require school lunches to limit added sugars and other additives, products outside of school remain unregulated.
Adding that Lunchly kits did not look any better than school cafeteria meals, Dr. Goran said he would be happy to talk to the creators and help them with a redesign.
Ultimately, said Goran, parents rather than influencers and nutritionists have the final say. If you don’t think these lunches are healthy for your kids, don’t buy them, even if they ask. Your dollars influence the product marketplace. If creators keep expecting to profit off ultra-processed food like Lunchly, it’s only because consumers have yet to prove them wrong.