Do you know the history behind Lunchables?

Lunchables are children’s meal kits which include a combination of small slices of meat and cheese along with crackers or feature items such as pizzas, chicken nuggets, nachos, or sub sandwiches (and sometimes with cookies, candy, or Capri-Sun juice drink).

1985: Lunchables was created by Oscar Mayer in response to slowing sales of its bologna and to help American mothers who said in focus groups that they lacked time to pack lunches for their kids. The team decided on the Lunchables name after debating names like On-Trays, Crackerwiches, Mini Meals, Walk Meals, Go-Packs, and Fun Mealz according to the book "Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us” by journalist Michael Moss .

The prepackaged lunch kits would use Oscar Mayer’s lunch meats, crackers instead of bread because of its longer shelf life, and Kraft cheese and package them in a TV dinner tray. In 1989 Philip Morris USA merged General Foods (owner of Oscar Mayer) with the newly acquired Kraft Foods to create Kraft General Foods.

1988: Lunchables were launched in Seattle.

1989: Lunchables were launched nationally in the U.S.

2003: Lunchables Fun Fuel line replaced candy with yogurt in a tube and included 100% fruit juice (instead of a 10% fruit juice drink) but got discontinued after two years due to low sales.

2011: Lunchables with Fruit are launched with a $20 million advertising campaign. The new Lunchables with Fruit included a fruit cup: Dole Mandarin Oranges or Pineapple Tidbits in 100 percent fruit juice ( Dole Packaged Foods ). Lunchables with Fruit later get discontinued.

2020: People on Reddit express annoyance that Lunchables has replaced OREO cookies with generic “chocolate cream cookies”. OREO had been owned by Kraft Foods Inc. until 2012 when it split into Kraft Foods Group, Inc. and 亿滋食品 , Inc. (which now owns the OREO brand).?

March 2023: The National School Lunch Program approved 2 Lunchables – Turkey and Cheddar and Extra Cheesy Pizza- to be served in schools beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. The approved Lunchables were created to meet the NSLP nutrition standards to add protein and whole grains while reducing saturated fat and sodium.

June 2023:?Mondelēz International?announces that it is rebranding its Dairylea Lunchables line as Dairylea Lunchers in the UK and Ireland effective July 2023. The new packs featuring Dairylea cheese, Ham or Chicken options, and crackers will contain less sodium and saturated fat than previous recipes.

Aug. 2023: The first Lunchables with fresh-cut fruit are launched. 亨氏 announced that it is partnering with Fresh Del Monte to offer Lunchables with fresh-cut fruits at select grocery stores in the South-Central region of the U.S., with a national rollout planned for 2024. The Lunchables will feature apples, clementines, grapes, or pineapples and be paired with either turkey & cheddar crackers or ham & cheddar crackers.

Day 23 of #Ship30for30

?