Shame On You: Oscar Mayer Lunch-a-BLEGHs

On its Oscar Mayer Lunchables page, Kraft Foods states their mission is to create “foods that help provide the fuel and energy needed to tackle whatever it is [your children] happen to dream up that day.”

A young smiling girl is shown front and center, and Kraft acknowledges that, quelle surprise, “children who eat their lunch do better in school”.

I truly don’t understand how Oscar Mayer Lunchables fit into this wholesome “we have your child’s best interests at heart” theme, though.

For example, the Ultimate Nachos (bundled with a Capri Sun drink and some cookies) contain:

580 calories
8 grams saturated fat (40 percent of a day’s maximum)
1290 sodium (that’s half a day’s worth!)
2 grams of fiber.

The turkey and American cheese cracker stackers, also bundled with a Capri Sun, add up to:

350 calories
6 grams of saturated fat (30 percent of a day’s maximum)
770 milligrams of sodium
0 grams of fiber

The crackers, apart from being made entirely of refined carbohydrates, contain partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup.

Then there’s the deep dish extra-cheesy pizza pack. It comes with crispy M&M’s and a Capri Sun drink (sounds so healthy, doesn’t it?) and provides:

700 calories
9 grams of saturated fat (45 percent of a day’s maximum)
1,240 milligrams of sodium
4 grams of fiber
61 grams (15 teaspoons) of added sugar.

That is on par with wolfing down a Big Mac and medium soda at McDonald’s.

It's one thing to have these products on the shelf along with cookies and potato chips, where they are surrounded by other nutritionally empty foods.

It's shameful, though, to sell these products and stand behind a message of nutrition, healthy eating, and child welfare.