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Lunchables is an American brand of food and snacks manufactured by Kraft Heinz in Chicago, Illinois, and marketed under the Oscar Mayer brand. They were initially introduced in Seattle in 1988 before being released nationally in 1989. Many Lunchables products are produced in a Garland, Texas, facility, and are then distributed across the United States.
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Lunchables were originally marketed by Kraft Foods Inc. and its successor Mondelez as "Dairylea Lunchables". In 2023, Mondelez renamed the line " Dairylea Lunchers".
The term 'Lunchables' emerged from a list of possible names for the prepackaged meal that included, among others: On-Trays, Crackerwiches, Mini Meals, Lunch Kits, Snackables, Square Meals, Walk Meals, Go-Packs, and Fun Mealz.Michael Moss, Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, Random House Publishing Group, 2013, p.192-193
Lunchables also carries an assortment of drinks and desserts. In certain meal combinations, Capri-Sun juice drinks are offered, either in a traditional flavor or the "Roarin' Waters" variant. Other drinks included are bottled water and a generic, unlabeled small can of cola; however, it was later replaced with Capri Sun drinks due to health concerns. As for dessert, some packages contain Jell-O gelatin or pudding or a candy alternative, such as or Reese's cups. Other desserts also include , chocolate chip cookies, and vanilla cookies.
As of 2022, the varieties of Lunchables (as they were then known) available in the UK were more limited in comparison to the 1990s and 2000s. The burger, pizza, hot dog, and sub varieties were no longer sold, and the product was mostly limited to crackers, cheese, and ham or chicken although there was a Snackers brand of cheese and crackers with Cadbury Buttons, mini Cadbury Fingers or . Many varieties, including turkey, ham, sausage, hot dogs, and pizza, are still sold in Canada, but they are sold by Maple Leaf Foods under the name "Lunch Mate".
A line of trays called Maxed Out was eventually released and had as many as nine grams of saturated fat, or nearly an entire day's recommended maximum for children, with up to two-thirds of the maximum for sodium and 65 grams (13 tsp) of sugar. Regarding the shift toward more salt, sugar, and fat in meals for kids, Geoffrey Bible, former CEO of Philip Morris USA (prior owner of Kraft Foods), remarked that he read an article that said: "If you take Lunchables apart, the most healthy item in it is the napkin."
Due to the growing concern of childhood obesity, UK Lunchables opted to create healthier options for children by eliminating Capri Sun drinks and mini and replacing the sugary drink and candy with orange juice and strawberry yogurt in 2004. The brand also began offering lower-calorie candy alternatives rather than including the standard Reese's cup in the package. Capri Sun and candy are still available as options in U.S. Lunchables. Lunchables were listed among the Cancer Project's "Five Worst Packaged Lunchbox Meals" in 2009.
A 2024 report by Consumer Reports found a high concentration of lead and phthalates (a chemical family known for causing hormone disruption) as well as high levels of sodium in Lunchables products. Consumer Reports asked the USDA to remove Lunchables products from the National School Lunch Program.
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