Lunchables were first introduced in 1985 in order to increase sales of Oscar Meyer’s deli meat. They were targeted towards working mothers and their children so that women wouldn’t have to worry about making hearty school lunches for their children. They were designed to look like TV dinners with compartments separating each food item.
Even with recent health concerns in childhood obesity, Lunchables are still sold in the United Kingdom and United States. Through the years there have been many changes to the meals with U.K. Lunchables (under the company Dairylea) making a move towards healthier options for kids. High sugar and salt products such as meats, candies and drinks have been replaced by options with healthier levels. Kraft, the company that produced the meals in the U.S., has made very few changes to increase the healthiness of Lunchables.
Having a Lunchable on your table made you the envy of the entire class. Turkey, crackers, pizza and Chicken Shake-Ups were popular options that frequented our paper lunch bags. The thrill of putting together your own food made lunchtime much more fun than it should have been (although eating is usually pretty great in itself). Stacking the crackers to make miniature sandwiches or putting the red sauce onto the pizza gave our eight-year-old hearts a thrill while the rest of the table sadly tried to enjoy the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches their moms packed for them. Lunchables included a drink, entrée and dessert. So they really were the best meal a school kid could hope for.
The blizzard that poured over Baltimore and the rest the Northeast this past weekend, affectionately named Jonas, made us yearn for the snow days when we could sit inside and our parents would make us warm food and hot chocolate after we came in soaked from the cold tundra. While we could still play in the winter wonderland that was the Hopkins campus, there was no loving mother to make sure the soaked clothes were cleaned and we had something warm to drink. Jonas made us all wish that our refrigerators were stocked with any type of Lunchable to have when every single restaurant or takeout place was closed and turning on the stove was just too much work. Making a cup of hot chocolate to drink while eating a nachos Lunchables sound like a perfect afternoon with your roommates. You cannot deny that.
Whether it was on your first day of elementary school, on your last day in sixth grade or on your high school graduation day, Lunchables are a great meal reminiscent of your childhood. Sure it may not be the healthiest or biggest option, but it is definitely fun and satisfying. There was no greater feeling than seeing the sharp corners of the iconic yellow box outlined on your brown paper lunch bag with your name written across the center. Everybody had their favorite variety and many wished they could specifically rearrange the entrée, drink and dessert combinations to their likings. But nobody could ever forget the role that Lunchables played in their childhood.
