In an attempt to create easy and healthy lunch options for children, YouTube megastar MrBeast launched Lunchly – a pre-packaged meal intended to be a “better-for-you lunch option” than Lunchables. But just one month after its release, Lunchly has already been fielding accusations that its meal kits contain mold well before their expiration date.
Back in September, MrBeast (aka, Jimmy Donaldson) teamed up with fellow influencers Logan Paul and Olajide “KSI” Olatunji to create Lunchly, a “groundbreaking new better-for-you lunch option.” The pre-packaged lunch combines all of their branded products – the YouTuber’s “Feastables” milk chocolate bar; a bottle of Paul and KSI’s sports drink, Prime Hydration; and one of three packaged food options, including pizza, nachos, or turkey and cheese with crackers.
But as Lunchly began to hit shelves last month, customers soon began to notice its contents weren’t entirely appetizing.
Rosanna Pansino, a cookbook author and YouTuber with 14.5 million subscribers, posted a video of herself opening a package of Lunchly’s “The Pizza” meal kit, which contains disc-shaped pizza dough, packaged pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, a “Cherry Freeze” flavored Prime drink, and a milk chocolate Feastables bar.
However, as Pansino filmed herself opening the Lunchly box, she claimed that blue mold was growing on the cheese. “This is molded,” she said in the video, which has been viewed more than 883,000 times since it was posted on October 19. “This is not safe.”
To make sure she hadn’t opened a faulty Lunchly box, Pansino checked the expiration date on the package, which was labeled: “Use by December 8, 2024.” While she had initially intended to compare Lunchly’s nutritional value to its Lunchables competitor in the video, the YouTuber instead warned children about the dangers of ingesting mold.
“Especially kids that are so young, they maybe don’t know what mold looks like, so they might just eat it,” Pansino said. “This is really unhealthy. You should not eat mold.”
Her video prompted several other customers to post photos and videos of their Lunchly meals, also claiming the product’s packaged cheese contained mold.
“The cheese is moldy,” said influencer @king.asante in one TikTok video. “I like my cheese moldy bruh,” another TikToker joked in their clip, which showed a close-up glimpse at the Lunchly meal kit’s blue-colored cheese. Meanwhile, on X/Twitter, one user went viral when they shared a photo of their Lunchly mini pizza, which was topped with seemingly molded shredded cheese.
The Independent has contacted MrBeast, Paul, and Lunchly for comment.
A spokesperson representing Lunchly, Paul, and Prime told Fortune that all Lunchly products undergo strict review by health officials.
“That process consists of multiple inspections and approvals, including that of the USDA, before any product can even leave the manufacturing facility,” they said.
Earlier this year, Lunchables – which is owned by the Kraft Heinz company – announced its ready-to-eat packaged meals will soon be incorporated into school lunch programs. The major initiative prompted Lunchables to develop a new version of the snack kit to meet federal guidelines. However, an April 2024 report from Consumer Reports later found even higher levels of sodium in the Lunchables served in schools, compared to those in stores.
“Our end game has always been to not only provide high quality products, but also healthier alternatives,” Paul said in a statement at the time. “That’s why we’re entering the lunch grab-and-go market. It’s been dominated by Lunchables since we were kids ourselves and it’s time to provide a better option for those looking for a convenient, healthier choice.”
The Lunchly website features a side-by-side comparison of its meal kits to Lunchables to-go meals, claiming that Lunchly has fewer calories, less sugar, and more electrolytes than its competitor. The brand also boasts its use of “real cheese” in the Lunchly pizza meal kit, containing “low-moisture part-skim” mozzarella cheese with “cultured pasteurized part-skim milk.”