A new government program is bringing Lunchables from Kraft Heinz into school cafeterias this fall. This comes after a grueling process in which the company had to “reformulate” ingredients to make sure that the product met federal guidelines.
Carlos Abrams-Rivera, an executive vice president with Kraft Heinz, said two new varieties of Lunchables (separate from Lunchables sold in grocery stores), with “improved nutrition” that comply with the National School Lunch program requirements, will be served in K-12 schools nationwide, beginning this fall.
The changes made now align the Lunchables with the guidelines set by the NSLP, National School Lunch Program.
Meghan Maroney, federal child nutrition programs campaign manager at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, noted, “if the products are reformulated to meet NSLP guidelines, they will taste different from Lunchables sold in stores because of lower sodium, saturated fat and other requirements. This can be confusing for kids.”