Lunchly criticisms, mold allegations prompt response from Logan Paul: 'Try harder'
YouTubers MrBeast, Logan Paul and KSI created Lunchly as what they said was a healthier alternative to Lunchables and other prepackaged meal kits, but the company has recently received criticism from doctors and other creators who accuse their products of being unhealthy and containing mold.
MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, partnered with Paul and Olajide "KSI" Olatunji to introduce Lunchly in September.
Paul and KSI founded and own Prime Hydration, while Mr. Beast founded and owns the chocolate and snack brand, Feastables.
"(Lunchly) is changing the grab-and-go game with an innovative approach that prioritizes quality ingredients and delicious flavors," according to the company's website. "We're here to fuel your fun from the lunchroom to the breakroom by packing every (Lunchly) box with a PRIME Hydration and a Feastables Bar."
The Lunchly kits — Pizza, Turkey Stack ’Ems and Nachos — contain real cheese, less sugar and fewer calories in comparison to their Lunchables counterparts, according to the company's website. Although the kits appear to be healthier on paper, critics have argued that Lunchly's kits are not much, if any, better for children than Lunchables or any other prepackaged meal.
USA TODAY contacted Lunchly on Monday but has not received a response.
Here's what to know about the controversy surrounding Lunchly, including allegations of mold and exaggerated marketing.
Are Lunchly kits healthier?
One major difference between the Lunchly and Lunchables is the YouTubers' meal kits contain a significantly higher amount of electrolytes due to the inclusion of Paul's and KSI's Prime drinks.
While this sounds ideal, Dr. Brian Sutterer, who specializes in sports medicine and has been featured by the American Medical Association, shared a conflicting viewpoint on X in September.
"Sodium getting rebranded as ‘electrolytes’ will be taught in marketing textbooks one day," Sutterer wrote an X post.
Sutterer's comments led to Paul responding to him on X, saying, "Crazy how even a 'sports medicine doctor' can't tell the difference between Sodium and Potassium. The referenced 400 mg of Electrolytes is the potassium in PRIME you idiot."
Doctor Mike, a YouTube personality who is a certified family physician, said the sodium content is missing from the nutrition facts seen on Lunchly's website, and as a consumer, he would "like to compare the entire electrolyte profile, which would have to include sodium."
"It's like having a PB&J sandwich label that says what's in the sandwich... but then the sugar line only tells you what's in the peanut butter," Doctor Mike, whose real name is Mikhail Oskarovich Varshavski, said in a YouTube video addressing the "Lunchly controversy."
Doctor Mike said it is fair to call Lunchly "healthier," but "more so as a marketing tactic" since the prepackaged meal kits do not align well with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's recently passed nutrition standards for school lunches. The doctor did call the criticisms of the Youtubers "unfair" because what they are doing "isn't inherently problematic," but he said abiding by USDA standards should be the "minimum starting requirements' if they indeed aimed to make healthier meals for kids.
Do Lunchly products contain mold?
Rosanna Pansino, a baking YouTuber, posted a video on Oct. 19 titled "I tried Lunchly … it was MOLDY!" In the video, Pansino, whose real name is Rosanna Jeanne Reardon, opens a Pizza Lunchly meal kit that was allegedly bought "months before its expiration date," according to her video's description.
Throughout the 20-minute video, Pansino criticizes Lunchly, its creators and the meal kits' nutritional value.
"Some of the most brilliant minds of YouTube came together to create Lunchly, (and) they really care about people and their nutrition and their kids," the YouTuber said. "Oh I'm so sorry, I think I threw up a little bit saying that. None of them or foodies nor do they give a (expletive)."
Before Pansino's video was posted, some social media users shared clips of them finding mold in their Lunchly products. TikTok user aU38a shared a post discovering the mold in their kit in an Oct. 14 video, writing the caption, "I like my cheese moldy bruh."
Several other videos popped up on TikTok showing people finding mold in their Lunchly kits, including Twitch streamer aSpicyCow who wrote on X, "The whole reason I did this is because I did NOT believe the original source as she was clearly biased against mrbeast. So I wanted answers and bought every lunchly I could find. I didn't expect mold, but i found mold."
In response to the mold allegations, Lunchly told the Daily Mail in a statement, "All Lunchly products go through a stringent review process to ensure the quality and safety of its products. That process consists of multiple inspections and approvals, including that of the USDA, before any product can even leave the manufacturing facility.”
Logan Paul responds to Lunchly controversy
Paul responded to the controversy around Lunchly in a 2-minute video posted on X on Monday, including concerns over a hoax Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recall paper that he said an unidentified man typed up and put on a fridge in a Fred Meyer store.
The YouTuber said Lunchly has not been recalled or discontinued despite numerous social media users reporting otherwise. He also spoke about an alleged bomb threat at Lunchly's headquarters.
"It's just crazy to me that we're a $4 lunch kit, and in the first four weeks, our headquarters had a bomb threat," Paul said. "We'd love to think this is all just a coincidence, but nah we calling cap."
Paul also addressed the mold claims by explaining how the "USDA inspects every finished food lot and approves it before even leaving (Lunchly's) facility." He did acknowledge that issues can happen in transit, including seal breaking and "rough mishandling" at stores.
"Just like any produce you buy problems can arise and our retail partners are great, they'll offer a full refund," according to Paul. "We're going to keep innovating and improving our product as we attempt to disrupt this archaic industry that's been run by the same corporate giants for the past 120 years. It is a new era and the ops are going to have to try harder."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Moldy Lunchly allegations, health critiques prompt Logan Paul response