Lunchly is a food product that entices kids to eat a fun lunch created by the YouTubers they see on their screens.
The product, created by YouTubers Logan Paul, MrBeast, and KSI, features the trio’s original products, Feastables, chocolate created by MrBeast, and Prime, a drink created by Logan Paul and KSI.
The lunchtime meal was launched on September 16, 2024, and has since received backlash for multiple reasons.
Who Are These YouTubers?
These YouTubers have been creating videos for upwards of a decade. Over time, their brands and fanbases have grown exponentially. Their fans, consisting mostly of children, have brought them to be ranked among the highest-grossing YouTubers on the platform. All three of them are no stranger to drama and controversy.
Logan Paul, known for comedy and vlog-type content, has been under fire for controversial videos. In December 2017, Paul released one of the most infamous vlogs of all time. He recorded himself visiting Japan and entering what is known as “The Suicide Forest.” While there, he filmed what appeared to be a deceased man and included this in the final, uploaded video. The internet was outraged, and although it was quickly taken down, the video gained millions of views immediately after upload.
Logan Paul’s business partner, KSI, also known as Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji, is known for his reaction-based content and the Sidemen YouTube channel. The YouTuber has been scrutinized for misogyny, insensitive jokes, and racism. Most notably, he took a break after being called out for saying a racial slur in a Sidemen video. However, he later returned in a MrBeast collaboration.
Finally, MrBeast, or James “Jimmy” Donaldson, is the highest-grossing and most subscribed YouTuber on the platform. Known for his philanthropy and challenge videos with large monetary rewards, Donaldson has grown to fame fast. Recently, he has been under fire for faking his content and cherry-picking the winners of his challenges.
Do They Care About Their Fans?
Upon promoting Lunchly, another beloved YouTuber took to X to say his piece. DanTDM, otherwise known as Daniel Middleton, is a gaming creator, originally Minecraft, who many of today’s young adults grew up watching. He spoke up about his disappointment in his fellow YouTubers. He felt that the product and advertising were predatory toward the trio’s loving fans and did not properly benefit them.
The tweet drew massive attention and garnered over 57 million views. The product had just launched, and everyone was talking about it. However, the public was not speaking highly about Lunchly. With the sudden attention, Lunchly’s creators quickly responded to Middleton’s tweet.
Since DanTDM’s tweet, many other creators have tweeted their perspectives. Logan Paul, KSI, and MrBeast have been non-stop defending themselves and their products. This was the beginning of what would become a massive topic among netizens.
What Is Upsetting Everyone?
Their tagline, “Lunchtime Fuel, Reimagined,” leads consumers to believe that the new meal is healthy and good for kids. However, another popular YouTuber came to a different conclusion.
Rosanna Pansino, known online as “Nerdy Nummies,” is a well-known food-centered YouTuber. She filmed a video where she bought and compared Lunchly to Lunchables. This is because the creators openly compare their product to Lunchables and claim it is a “better option.”
Within this video, Pansino found a horrifying flaw in the product. On one of the Lunchly packs that she purchased, the adhesive seal was defective and the food inside was molded. Across social media, many other customers have also reported finding mold within their packages.
“Which one would you give your kid?” she says, holding up a moldy Lunchly next to a generic Lunchables. “I just want you guys to know I did not fake this,” she stated in her video, “I was honestly going to go over nutritional facts and differences between the two with two physicians inputs.”
Facing backlash from fans of MrBeast, Pansino clapped back by releasing the unedited footage from her Lunchly unboxing. She has since made it her mission to make these issues known to the public by sharing any of her findings on X.
Is Lunchly “Better” Than Lunchables?
Logan Paul, KSI, and MrBeast have advertised Lunchly as a better alternative to Lunchables. They claim that they created a “better for you” lunchtime meal. However, since the topic gained public interest, licensed physicians have weighed in their two cents as well.
A notable YouTuber and certified doctor known as Doctor Mike uploaded a video covering his thoughts on this topic. He explains that Lunchables kits “are fun and tasty [but] their nutritional value is just not good.” Furthermore, he explains that these kits fall under the category of “Ultra-Processed Foods” or UPFs.
This means that Lunchables are not great for consistent consumption because they are highly processed. “My own take on Lunchables?” He states, “I don’t recommend parents pack them for their kids on a daily basis.” In moderation, the kits are a fun lunch for a kid. However, they do not provide the USDA-recommended nutrients.
After discussing Lunchables, he moves on to Lunchly. Doctor Mike finds that there are not many considerable differences between the two brands that make one significantly better than the other. “The entirety of the [Lunchly] kit is still considered an ultra-processed meal,” he says. This means that both of these brands produce ultra-processed, not nutritious meals.
Ultimately, he states that there may be minimal differences that could argue Lunchly is better than Lunchables, but it is the greater of the two poor choices. “Lunchly, just like Lunchables, misses the mark too many times to be considered meaningfully healthier.”
Lunchly: A Kit of Controversy
Overall, Lunchly has been the topic of the past month, with many creators, big and small, making their thoughts public. From YouTubers to Physicians, everyone has an opinion on this new Lunchables competitor. Although both are considered unhealthy by USDA standards, many are still arguing which option is “better for you.”
Would you try Lunchly?
