Once the undisputed king of the kids' lunch box, sales of Lunchables — a meat, cheese, and cracker combo in a disposable plastic container — tumbled during the third quarter of 2024. Parent company Kraft Heinz saw a 2.2 percent drop in sales across the board, nearly half of which was driven by Lunchables, which decreased its sales by 12 percent.
According to CNN Business, Kraft Heinz is scrambling to prop up the ailing $2 billion brand, and the headwinds are fierce — parents are increasingly concerned that the prepackaged meals aren't healthy options, and the brand's attempt to get on school lunch menus turned into a public relations debacle. New competitors like Lunchly are entering the market as well, with backing from YouTube megastars Logan Paul and MrBeast.
Lunchables may be stale these days, but the brand, launched in the late 1980s as a way for Oscar Mayer to repurpose excess bologna, was an early leader in ready-to-eat packaged foods. In recent years, however, the brand has come under heavy criticism for its high levels of sodium and saturated fat, and in 2024, Consumer Reports found that the products also contained lead and cadmium.
Kraft Heinz disagrees with the findings, but Lunchables still took a major hit from the negative publicity. The company hopes to rebuild the brand with a revamped marketing campaign and new flavors.
