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Lunchables removed from national school lunch program [Video]
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Lunchables removed from national school lunch program [Video]

Lunchables will no longer be on the menu at schools around the United States.Kraft Heinz, the company that produces Lunchables, announced Tuesday that it will remove the meal kits from the National School Lunch Program.The company pulled the product because demand did not reach its targets, but it plans to revisit the idea in the future, according to an emailed statement from Kraft Heinz.The decision comes after Consumer Reports tested the school versions of the grocery store snacks and found high levels of sodium, lead and cadmium.Were pleased that Heinz Kraft has pulled Lunchables from the school lunch program, Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, said in a statement. The USDA should maintain stricter eligibility standards for the school lunch programs so that the millions of kids that depend on it get the healthier options they deserve.The National School Lunch Program a federally assisted program that provides low-cost and free nutritionally balanced lunches to students serves nearly 30 million kids, according to the Department of Agricultures Food and Nutrition Service.Sodium levels in the school lunchesTwo types of Lunchables were brought into the school lunch program last year: Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Stackers and Extra Cheesy Pizza.Consumer Reports found that the kits, which were created specifically for the school lunch program, contained even higher levels of sodium than those available in the grocery store.Sodium levels in the store-bought lunch and snack kits it tested ranged from 460 to 740 milligrams per serving, or nearly a quarter to half of a childs daily recommended limit for sodium, Consumer Reports said.The turkey and cheddar school versions of Lunchables contained 930 milligrams of sodium, compared to 740 milligrams in the store-bought version.Last year, US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack proposed changes to school food guidelines to gradually reduce sodium and added sugar levels. Too much sodium consumption can raise blood pressure and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The school version of Lunchables did contain higher levels of protein and whole grains than the grocery store counterparts, however, Kraft Heinz previously has said.Last year, we brought two NSLP compliant Lunchables options to schools that had increased protein, the company said in a statement Tuesday. While many school administrators were excited to have these options, the demand did not meet our targets. This happens occasionally across our broad portfolio, especially as we explore new sales channels. Lunchables products are not available in schools this year and we hope to revisit at a future date. The NSLP compliant Lunchables sales last school year were far less than 1% of overall Lunchables sales, so business impact is negligible.Lead and cadmiumAlongside Lunchables, Consumer Reports tested other store-bought meal kits, including those from Armour LunchMakers, Good & Gather, Greenfield Natural Meat Co. and Oscar Mayer.And in addition to higher levels of sodium than other lunch kits, Consumer Reports also found lead, cadmium or both in all of the kits, although none of the kits exceeded any federal limit.Cadmium has been linked to kidney and bone disease and cancer, according to the World Health Organization. As natural elements, heavy metals such as lead and cadmium are in the soil in which crops are grown and thus cant be avoided. Some crop fields and regions, however, contain more toxic levels than others, partly due to the overuse of metal-containing pesticides and ongoing industrial pollution.There is no safe level of lead for children, however, according to the CDC.Lead stays in the body and builds up over time, a process called bioaccumulation. Thats why even extremely low levels of ongoing exposure can become toxic. Infants are particularly vulnerable because a smaller dose of lead can have a larger health effect on them compared with other children and adults.CNNs Sandee LaMotte and Parija Kavilanz contributed to this report.

Man turns rodent problem into successful business [Video]
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Man turns rodent problem into successful business [Video]

A Clemmons man has turned a costly rodent problem into a successful business by inventing a high-tech cover to protect cars and patio furniture.”Three years ago, I had a rodent problem in my car. Cost me $25,000 to get it fixed in three months of downtime,” said Ken Huening, CEO of CoverSeal.Huening says that experience led him to invent a new kind of high-tech cover to better protect his own car.He calls it CoverSeal, which is made of polyester with a patented peripheral weight that creates even pressure around it.”It does several positive things. One of them is it keeps it from blowing off,” he said.”You’re not chasing your cover all over the neighborhood in a windstorm, and we’ve tested it up to 45 miles an hour,” he added.You can find CoverSeal on Amazon, where it sells for more than $300.Road and Track magazine listed it among the best car covers for 2024.Huening says his invention is not just for cars, noting the benefits for patio furniture and grills.”The main issue was to prevent rodents from getting into your barbecue grill. They love the barbecue after you’re done with it,” he said.”Is it waterproof? That’s an interesting question, because people have asked that, and what I’ve found with covers is that if they’re waterproof, they trap moisture underneath them,” he said.Huening says that creates mold.”Did you ever expect to become an inventor? You know, I hope everybody expects to become an inventor, because you hear about a lot of good ideas. What happens is people let them die. They don’t pursue their idea to see it into something that can be tangible, and it’s not an easy road,” he said.Road and Track lists rodent protection, quality materials, and availability in five sizes as CoverSeal’s pros.For cons, the magazine says its pricey.