Consumers stride through their local grocery store’s doors, scouring the store’s fridges for their usual Lunchables for next week’s lunch. Their eyes land on a vibrant box with the bolded word “Lunchly” on them that stands alongside the usual Lunchable. 

Lunchables, a lunch kit, have been around for decades, being a go-to lunch option for many back in the day. However, there’s been a new quick grab-and-go meal popping up on everyone’s social media feed: Lunchly. Their collaboration with Hailey Welch, a famous Tiktoker and podcaster, along with the release of KSI’s song “Thick of It,” caused publicity for the brand. The bright packaging and incorporation of the energy drink company Prime and the chocolate bar company Feastables also lured people in. The Lunchly tag on Tiktok already has 18,200 more posts than Lunchables. 

Lunchables

Founded in Chicago, Illinois, Lunchables has been America’s signature quick grab and go meal, rising in popularity in the 1990s and 2000s. Over the years, they have released nearly 40 different lunch options, incorporating sweets and drinks into their packs as well. Mini hot dogs, a Lunchable meal accompanied by condiments, a Capri Sun and a mini Hershey bar has found its way into consumers’ hearts and stomachs– becoming a popular option.

I taste-tested three different meal packs: Cracker Stackers, Pizza and Nachos– each costing $2.97 at any local Walmart but can be easily found in every grocery store.

Cracker Stackers 6/10

The first thing I noticed was the strong meat smell, and the turkey’s taste itself wasn’t enjoyable; it lacked flavor and tasted rubbery. The crackers, though good, tasted more like the breadsticks from Nutella & Go. The bland meat paired with the plain crackers and cheese overall was mediocre.

The whole meal felt sad, not having the same impact it used to eating it as a kid. The drink that came with it was the Pacific Cooler Capri Sun, the fruit blend made for a refreshing combination. The snack that came with it was Reese’s peanut butter cups.

This meal contained a total of 310 calories, 11 grams of protein, 21 grams of sugar and 55 milligrams of electrolytes. According to 3Natives, the average calorie intake for a healthy lunch is around 500 to 700 calories for someone who needs to consume 2,000 calories a day. As a school lunch, I’d say this is reasonable but too little for the older consumers. 

Pizza 8/10

As I took a bite of the thin slice of bread, spread with tomato sauce and sprinkled on cheese, nostalgia came rushing back in. The pizza tasted perfect– the only downside being the sauce leaving a dirty aftertaste.

The drink with it was the same Capri Sun as the one found in the Cracker Stackers. The snack that came with it was a mystery Airhead. As a kid, it always brought joy wondering about the flavor of the candy.

This meal contained 390 calories, 13 grams of protein, 20 grams of sugar and 55 milligrams of electrolytes. The recommended sugar intake for the average kid is 25 grams. Lunchables have a good amount of calories for a daily lunch, but they can have too much sugar for child consumption.

Nachos 9/10

For a person who had a sworn hatred toward this specific pack as a kid, the whole meal was different from what I remembered. The cheese had a good kick of spice to it and the salsa was hearty. With the yummy zesty nacho cheese and the tangy sweet salsa mixed perfectly together, the meal satisfied my tastebuds. My only complaint was that the tortilla chips lacked a bit of seasoning, because with it, it would make the meal more complete. Other than that, it was delicious.

The drink that came with it was a Fruit Punch Capri Sun. I appreciated that the drink wasn’t too sweet. It was a contrast to an impactful lunch but a well needed contrast.The snack that came with it was a Kitkat; the chocolate was a nice dessert to sweeten the mouth.

This meal contained 450 calories, seven grams of protein, 22 grams of sugar and 55 milligrams of electrolytes. With the amount of calories in this meal, I think this is the better option for lunch because it has the right amount of calories to get you to dinner.

Lunchly

Founded in 2024, Lunchly gained popularity since the creators were famous influencers– with a combined audience of 377 million people. Similar to Lunchables, they add drinks and sweets to their boxes, using the founders Logan Paul, Olajide Olayinka Williams “JJ” Olatunji and James Donaldson’s own pre-existing products. 

So far, they imitated three of Lunchables’ iconic options: Cracker Stackers, Pizza and Nachos. In the original promotion video, the three founders tried their Fiesta Nachos. After their announcement about changing the cheese from nacho to white blanco, it caused it to become their popular option.

All Lunchly’s were located at Safeway due to them not being available at Walmart. The Turkey Stack ‘Ems was located in Hunters Woods Plaza, “The Pizza” was located in Fairfax Towne Center and the Fiesta Nachos, though hard to find, were located in 413 Elden Street. Each one costs $4.49, $1.52 more than Lunchables for the same amount of food.

Turkey Stack ‘Ems 7/10

The first thing I noticed for this one was that the meat smell wasn’t overpowering. It smelled more like turkey than a blend of various meats like Lunchables’ turkey. The crackers were salted and tasted slightly grainy. Surprisingly, the turkey was flavorful but had a rubbery aftertaste. Overall, the addition of salt to the crackers and more flavor to the turkey gave for a more filling meal.

The drink that came with it was an ice-pop Prime, which was too sweet and tasted like sugar water. The snack that came with it was the milk chocolate Feastables bar. In early 2024, Feastables changed their recipe for their candy bars. The new formula they had come up with tastes like a plain carbon copy of Crunch bars, just without the crunch.

This meal contained 230 calories, 11 grams of protein, seven grams of sugar and 400 milligrams of electrolytes. The extra amount of electrolytes is unnecessary. Though the daily electrolyte intake should be 1,600 milligrams to 2,000 milligrams, kids can get these amounts through having a healthy diet and staying hydrated. They also lowered the calorie intake by 80 compared to Lunchables’ Cracker Stackers which wouldn’t be enough to hold a kid over for the rest of their school day.

“The Pizza” 4/10

The first bite of this meal was not pleasant, neither were the other few bites. It was a bland meal with lifeless cheese scattered on tangy and sweet sauce that laid on a powdery thin bread slice. Despite how good the sauce was, along with flavorless items, it made for a dull tasting meal.

The drink that came with it was a Cherry Freeze Prime, which was very unbalanced. It tasted both watered down yet too sweet– it tasted more like mouthwash than anything. The snack that came with it was, again, the milk crunch Feastables bar. I didn’t think this would get such a low rating, but it made me nauseous. 

The meal contained 360 calories, 12 grams of protein, 12 grams of sugar and 400 milligrams of electrolytes. I did take notice that the grams of sugar decreased– which I appreciate since these lunches are primarily packaged for minors to consume. 

Fiesta Nachos 3/10

Unfortunately, this meal was too overhyped. The flavors didn’t work together. The tortilla chips were slightly seasoned but stale. The “drippy” cheese tasted straight like movie theater popcorn butter, just sweet. The salsa was more of a solid than a liquid and tasted like watered down spicy tomato paste. 

The drink that came with it was the strawberry banana Prime, a drink I wished I hadn’t tried. Banana only works well with dairy products, so to even attempt to make it into an energy drink only produces an abomination. The snack that came with it was the same Feastable bar from the Turkey Stack ‘Ems. 

The meal contained 360 calories, nine grams of protein, 10 grams of sugar and 400 milligrams of electrolytes. Though I do appreciate the grams of sugar being lowered, the calories didn’t need to decrease. Less calories doesn’t automatically make an item healthier, and based on their promotion video it seems like they believed that it did. 

Verdict

Compared to Lunchables, Lunchly didn’t stand a chance. In the end, Lunchly’s food ended up tasting more processed, costing more for the same quantity of food and, though it had pretty packaging, it seriously lacked creativity in the food department. The quality only made them seem money hungry and didn’t support their claim of wanting to be better than Lunchables. Now I know I’ll grab the Lunchables box next time I go to the grocery store.