Lunchables Haters
Posted by deneb7 on February 23, 2009
I’ve been eating Lunchables lately when I either don’t feel like cooking or I’m too hungry to wait till I finish making something. I bought a bunch on sale at Safeway for $1 each… that hasn’t happened in years!
Long story short, I went online to look for info and came across the yelp page. Who knew they had a page devoted to Lunchables?! I sure didn’t.
The reviews made me sad because it seems most of the negative comments were written by people who’ve never had them. And what kind of review is “no”?
There were two main points which I’ll address:
Low Nutritional Value
I agree about the new pizza/taco ones. They stepped over the line when they added those. Addding a capri sun, and dessert, ok.. but cold pizza and tacos? You could get real ones that taste way better and is more filling for the same money.
The original ones, on the other hand, have decent nutrition – carbs, dairy/calcium, and meat/protein. That’s three of the food groups. Compare that with pb & j – carbs, some protein (peanut-), oils (-butter), sugar (jelly), and a tiny bit of fruit (or the flavor). hmm.
That’s an obvious choice for me…I think of lunchables as portable ham/turkey and cheese sandwiches.. except more fun and less soggy.
Bad Parenting
Let’s be realistic.. “bad” parents who would rather spend $4-5 on Lunchables than make their kid a sandwich, would probably also just give them money (which they’ll spend on soda and chips). Considering the alternative, I think Lunchables are preferable. Don’t blame the product for human fallacies.
However, it’s a good point. I applaud the guy whose parents made lunch with them, but..
I was under the impression that parents made lunch FOR their kids (rather than WITH). In that case, it would be bonding time gained because they can read a story to their kids before going to bed instead of being in the kitchen making sandwiches.
Other thoughts on Lunchables (and disclaimer)
1. They’re way overpriced. As a kid, I knew not to ask for it unless it was $1 or less. You can make a real sandwich complete with lettuce for less than their original price. It’s really a trade-off between convenience and value. Convenience wins when it’s on sale.
2. They’re overrated. You can make your own with ritz crackers, cheese, and lunchmeats.. and there’s no limit on how much of each you can get. Again, trade off is convenience/time.. it takes time to cut the cheese and meat, and there’s no easy way to pack it for school.
dracil said
Wow, from the photos, that feels like such a rip-off for $4-5.
Seems like all those other frozen meals might be better and cheaper. Or just buy a sandwich.
deneb7 said
haha that’s why I don’t get them unless they’re cheap.
Kids don’t have a microwave (or a fridge to keep frozen meals in before lunch time). A sandwich is $4-5 too.. might as well make one. Besides, sandwiches you have to buy the day of.. they don’t sit well and they get soggy.
I think the reason lunchables has lasted so long is that the compartmentalization keeps stuff from going bad so fast, and they’re convenient. And it’s kind of fun :p
miss chas said
Do you think that lunchables spoil overnight? say your kid packed one to school in his or her backpack which is left in the classroom all day and you get home and cook dinner not knowing your kids lunchable is still in the backpack only to discover the next morning that it was left un refrigerated over night? Is it a keeper or should ya trash it?
deneb7 said
Miss Chas:
Hm.. I’d probably trash it because I assume it’s relatively warm in your home and in the classroom. I wouldn’t want to take chances with my kid’s health.
Of course, if you’re one of those people who live somewhere really cold and never turn on the heater so your house temp is less than 60F most of the time… then it might still be ok.