Is Lunchly Healthier Than Lunchables? 6 g vs 14 g Added Sugar

Neither kit's label makes it healthier overall: per package, the Lunchly Turkey Stack 'Ems lists less added sugar (6 g vs 14 g) and less sodium (510 mg vs 550 mg), while the Lunchables Turkey & Cheddar Fun Pack lists less total fat (8 g vs 13 g) and less saturated fat (4 g vs 6 g). Both list 250 calories.

Key takeaways

• Per package, the Fun Pack lists 14 g added sugar, 550 mg sodium, and 4 g saturated fat, while the Turkey Stack 'Ems lists 6 g added sugar, 510 mg sodium, and 6 g saturated fat.
• Both turkey components are cured, but only the Lunchables turkey lists sodium nitrite by name. The Lunchly turkey lists cultured celery extract instead.
• The drinks are sweetened differently: the Lunchables drink uses sugar and stevia leaf extract, while the Lunchly ice pop drink uses sucralose and acesulfame potassium.

Is Lunchly healthier than Lunchables?

Neither kit is shown to be healthier by the label figures. Per 1 package serving, the Turkey Stack 'Ems lists less added sugar (6 g) and less sodium (510 mg), while the Fun Pack lists less total fat (8 g) and less saturated fat (4 g).

The better choice depends on which nutrient matters most to you. Calories are identical at 250 per package, and protein differs by only 1 g. Compare the Nutrition Facts panel on the package you buy, because listed values can change.

Is Lunchly healthy?

The label facts cannot establish whether Lunchly is healthy overall. Per 1 package serving, the Turkey Stack 'Ems lists 250 calories, 6 g added sugar (12% DV), 510 mg sodium (22% DV), and 6 g saturated fat (30% DV).

These figures show less added sugar and sodium than the Fun Pack, but more saturated fat. A single package does not describe a whole diet, so this comparison does not rate the product as healthy or unhealthy.

Are Lunchables healthy for kids?

The label facts do not settle that question. Per 1 package serving, the Fun Pack lists 14 g added sugar (29% DV) and 550 mg sodium (24% DV). FDA's Daily Value for sodium is less than 2,300 mg per day, and FDA notes that recommended limits for children under 14 are even lower than that adult figure.

Are Lunchables bad for you?

The label facts do not show that either kit is bad for you. Per 1 package serving, the Fun Pack lists 14 g added sugar, 550 mg sodium, and 4 g saturated fat, and its turkey lists sodium nitrite. These are the figures to weigh against your own needs. The evidence cannot establish individual effects.

How do the two kits compare at a glance?

Per 1 package serving, the two kits are nearly identical on calories and protein, and furthest apart on added sugar, where the Fun Pack lists 14 g and the Turkey Stack 'Ems lists 6 g.

Nutrient (1 package)	Lunchables Turkey & Cheddar Fun Pack	Lunchly Turkey Stack 'Ems
Calories	250	250
Total fat	8 g	13 g (17% DV)
Saturated fat	4 g (21% DV)	6 g (30% DV)
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	20 mg	30 mg
Sodium	550 mg (24% DV)	510 mg (22% DV)
Total carbohydrate	35 g	24 g
Dietary fiber	0 g	1 g
Total sugars	15 g	7 g
Added sugars	14 g (29% DV)	6 g (12% DV)
Protein	10 g	11 g
Calcium	150 mg	Not disclosed
Iron	0.9 mg	Not disclosed
Potassium	320 mg	480 mg
Vitamin B6	Not disclosed	2.5 mg (150% DV)
Vitamin B12	Not disclosed	2.9 mcg (120% DV)

Lunchly figures come from the Nutrition Facts image on the Lunchly Turkey Stack 'Ems product page. Lunchables figures come from the Lunchables Turkey & Cheddar Fun Pack product page. Potassium is listed on each panel without a breakdown by component, so the food within each kit that supplies it is not identified.

Each panel covers the whole package, so the figures cannot be split by component.

Which kit has more added sugar, and where does the sweetness come from?

The Lunchables Fun Pack lists 14 g of added sugar per package (29% DV), more than double the 6 g (12% DV) in the Turkey Stack 'Ems. FDA's Daily Value for added sugars is 50 g per day based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

The 14 g and 6 g figures cover each full package. For the Lunchly kit, that includes the Feastables milk chocolate bar, which lists sugar. For the Lunchables kit, it includes the Capri Sun Roarin' Waters Fruit Punch and the gummy worms.

Sweetness comes from different places in each kit. In the Lunchables kit, sugar appears in the fruit punch drink, the gummy worms, the crackers, and the turkey (as dextrose), and the drink also contains stevia leaf extract. In the Lunchly kit, sugar appears as cane sugar in the turkey, as sugar and corn syrup in the crackers, and as sugar in the milk chocolate bar, and the ice pop drink is sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium rather than sugar.

FDA states that acesulfame potassium is approved for use in food as a sweetener, and its sweetener page also describes sucralose and stevia-derived substances. Per-component panels were not disclosed, so the figures do not show how much of each kit's sugar comes from the drink versus the food.

How much sodium is in each package, and what does that mean?

The Fun Pack lists 550 mg of sodium per 1 package serving (24% DV), and the Turkey Stack 'Ems lists 510 mg (22% DV), a gap of 40 mg. FDA's Daily Value for sodium is less than 2,300 mg per day.

In the Lunchables kit, the turkey lists salt and sodium phosphates, the cheese lists sodium citrate, and the crackers contain 2% or less of salt. In the Lunchly kit, the turkey lists sea salt, the cheddar lists salt, and the crackers list salt within a 2% or less group. The label does not say how the total is divided among these components.

For label reading, look for salt, sea salt, sodium phosphate, and sodium citrate in the ingredient list. Sodium nitrite is a curing agent whose name contains sodium, but the Nutrition Facts sodium figure is a total that is not broken down by ingredient. Check the panel on the package you buy, since it is the best place to find that package's total sodium.

How do the saturated fat and total fat numbers differ?

The Turkey Stack 'Ems lists more total fat (13 g, 17% DV) and more saturated fat (6 g, 30% DV) than the Fun Pack, which lists 8 g total fat and 4 g saturated fat (21% DV).

Both kits list 0 g trans fat. Cholesterol is 20 mg in the Fun Pack and 30 mg in the Turkey Stack 'Ems.

The fat sources differ in the ingredient lists. The Lunchables cheese is a reduced fat pasteurized process cheddar made with part-skim milk, skim milk, and milkfat, and its crackers list palm oil and vegetable oil. The Lunchly crackers list high oleic sunflower oil, and its cheddar is listed as pasteurized milk with cheese culture, salt, enzymes, and annatto. The panels do not break down saturated fat by ingredient.

Which kit has more protein, and what vitamins does the Lunchly kit add?

The Turkey Stack 'Ems lists 11 g of protein per package, and the Fun Pack lists 10 g. The gap is small, and the panels do not show which components supply the protein.

The Lunchly panel also lists vitamin B6 at 2.5 mg (150% DV), vitamin B12 at 2.9 mcg (120% DV), and potassium at 480 mg, compared with 320 mg in the Fun Pack. The Lunchly ice pop drink ingredient list includes vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12, so the drink is one place these vitamins are added. The panel does not say which component provides the listed vitamin totals. The Lunchables panel does not disclose vitamin B6 or B12.

The Fun Pack panel lists 150 mg of calcium and 0.9 mg of iron. The Lunchly calcium and iron values are not disclosed.

What curing agents are in the turkey, and how do the ingredient lists compare?

The Lunchables turkey ingredient list includes sodium nitrite, sodium diacetate, sodium ascorbate, potassium lactate, sodium phosphates, and carrageenan. The Lunchly turkey ingredient list includes sea salt, vinegar, potato starch, cultured celery extract, and cane sugar, and it does not list sodium nitrite.

Cultured celery extract is a Lunchly-only ingredient in that same turkey list. For scanning, the key differences are these:

• Lunchables turkey: sodium nitrite is listed by name, along with sodium diacetate, sodium ascorbate, potassium lactate, sodium phosphates, and carrageenan.
• Lunchly turkey: cultured celery extract is listed, and sodium nitrite is not.
• Whether cultured celery extract supplies nitrite to the Lunchly turkey, and how much, was not disclosed. This comparison does not describe the Lunchly turkey as nitrite-free or nitrate-free.

For more on the compound itself, see Is Sodium Nitrite Safe? Cured Meat, Nitrosamines, and Labels.

How can shoppers spot added sugar, sodium nitrite, and sorbic acid on these labels?

Start with the Added Sugars line on the Nutrition Facts panel, then scan the ingredient list for names that signal sugar, sweeteners, curing agents, and preservatives. Ingredients are listed by weight, with the largest first.

• Added sugars: the grams and %DV line, plus names such as sugar, cane sugar, dextrose, corn syrup, and juice concentrates.
• Sweeteners: stevia leaf extract, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium, which appear in the drink ingredient lists.
• Curing agents: sodium nitrite, sodium diacetate, sodium ascorbate, potassium lactate, and cultured celery extract.
• Preservatives: sorbic acid, which the Lunchables cheese lists in brackets as [PRESERVATIVE].
• Sodium sources: salt, sea salt, sodium phosphate, and sodium citrate.

Preservatives and their label names are covered further in Does Sabra Hummus Have Preservatives? Yes; Cedar's Skips Sorbate, and nitrite labeling in cured meat is compared in Does Slim Jim Have Nitrites? Yes. Slim Jim vs Jack Link's Jerky. Another turkey comparison, with its own sodium and nitrate figures, is at Oscar Mayer vs Hillshire Turkey: Nitrates? 530 vs 600 mg Sodium.

Each Lunchly pack includes a Prime drink and a Feastables candy bar

Each Lunchly kit includes one Ice Pop PRIME Hydration drink and one Feastables milk chocolate bar, along with the crackers, turkey, and cheddar. The milk chocolate bar lists sugar, and the 6 g added sugar figure on the panel covers the whole package.

The drink is sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium. Whether the Prime Hydration drink contains caffeine was not disclosed.

What are in the MrBeast Lunchly meals?

The Lunchly Turkey Stack 'Ems kit discussed here contains crackers, turkey, and cheddar cheese, one Ice Pop PRIME Hydration drink, and one Feastables milk chocolate bar. This article describes that one kit and does not survey other Lunchly meals.

What the label figures cannot tell you about these kits

Several details were not disclosed, so this comparison leaves them out rather than estimating them. These include per-component nutrition panels for each kit, the amount of nitrite (if any) from cultured celery extract in the Lunchly turkey, whether the Prime Hydration drink contains caffeine, and the Lunchly calcium and iron values.

Current sugar, sodium, and saturated fat values for the Lunchables Fun Pack and the Lunchly turkey kit may differ from the figures shown here, because package formulations can change. The Lunchly values come from the Nutrition Facts image on the product page.

Aurascan is a food-label scanner app for iPhone with a free tier.

To put those added-sugar grams next to the daily limits for each age, see How Much Added Sugar Should Kids Have a Day? By Age, in Grams.