A YouTuber claimed she opened a Lunchly package and found moldy cheese inside – and now she's warning people the products may not be safe.

MrBeast, Logan Paul and KSI recently launched what they say is a “healthier” alternative to Lunchables. Targeting their younger fan base, the trio collectively launched the “groundbreaking new, better lunch option” that combines products they already sell into an all-in-one meal.

Lunch includes one of three processed foods – The Pizza, Turkey Stack 'Ems or Fiesta Nachos – as well as a bottle of Prime Hydration, a sports drink alternative from Paul and KSI, and a Feastables milk chocolate bar from MrBeast.

YouTuber Rosanna Pansino claims a pack she bought was covered in mold and said: “This is really worrying.”

“This is disgusting. I made a video comparing Lunchables to Lunchly and was shocked when I opened “The Pizza” Lunchly. The cheese had mold!” Pansino posted on X, formerly Twitter, alongside a video of her opening a package of “The Pizza.”

“The expiration date was still two months away! I looked online and found at least a dozen other people posting that their Lunchlys were moldy too. The full video is on my YouTube channel.”

Newsweek emailed reps for Pansino, MrBeast and Paul on Monday seeking comment.

In the video, Pansino said: “I made a video comparing Lunchly to Lunchables and I opened the first pack that was supposed to last until December 8, 2024 and we just got this one, it was fresh from the store.” Tomorrow and there’s a lot of mold in there.

As she showed close-up photos of the bright blue mold, Pansino continued, “I honestly didn't expect that, I thought they would, you know, taste pretty similar, just, you know, not the best, right.” Better for You, ingredients. And I wanted to go over the nutritional information and other things, but this is really concerning, so I'm just stopping filming to take a little break to show this.

The YouTuber then used a fork to dig into the grated cheese, which appeared to be covered in mold.

She added: “That’s a lot of mold. This is really dangerous.”

At the time of writing, her post has been viewed 13.7 million times.

In a follow-up post, she shared pictures of the mold and wrote, “Just opened my first ever @Lunchly! So much. Mold. What flavor of mold did you get?”

In another post, she shared a picture of her making the mini pizzas with the moldy cheese. “'I like my cheese moldy, bruh!'” she captioned the image alongside the disgusted face emoji.

“My moldy @Lunchly! 'Use by 8/24/12' @US_FDA,” Pansino said in another post, this time tagged “Food and Drug Administration” (FDA).

She concluded: “Please be careful everyone. This is not safe and not okay. Especially for children!”

Regarding Pansino's tweets, a source familiar with the product said to “consider the context and source.”

In the YouTube video she uploaded, Pansino did not reveal where she purchased the Lunchly products, saying, “We just got them at the store.” She also did not explain how she stored the products before using them. If stored improperly, cheese can quickly become moldy. On the Lunchly website, the product descriptions state: “Keep in the refrigerator. Don’t freeze.”

The FDA, which oversees food recommendations and regulations, recommends storing cheese in the refrigerator at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Cheese should not be stored at room temperature for more than two hours and its shelf life varies depending on the type of cheese.

In a statement shared with NewsweekSaid a Lunchly representative: “All Lunchly products go through a rigorous testing process to ensure the quality and safety of their products. This process consists of multiple inspections and approvals, including those from the USDA, before a product is even allowed to leave the manufacturing facility.”

This isn't the first time Pansino has spoken about Lunchly. After launching the product on September 16th, she went to X on September 18th to brand Lunchly as “Temu Lunchables.” Temu is a third-party online marketplace known for its deeply discounted items. In an Oct. 3 post, Pansino called Lunchly a “low quality product” and in another post the same day, she called Lunchly “rip-off junk food.”

Paul previously released a statement describing the meals as a “healthier alternative” to a market “dominated by Lunchables,” and MrBeast explained that the intention was to “increase the kids' lunch market with healthier, better-tasting options.” to revolutionize”. “

When Lunchly received backlash online from various people who branded the food as “unhealthy,” MrBeast responded by retweeting a post from DramaAlert on X that included screenshots of various YouTubers reacting to Lunchly's launch. He explained why he, KSI and Paul started Lunchly and why he believes it is a healthier alternative to Lunchables.

“Lunchables sells hundreds of millions of units and countless people eat it. Our goal is to give people a better alternative to this. For example, our turkey meal has 80 fewer calories, 60% less sugar, more electrolytes, we use real cheese. “They use 'cheese products' (they can't call it cheese), higher quality meat, etc,” he wrote.

“Of course it's healthier to eat fresh chicken and broccoli, but if someone eats a pre-made meal like this (which millions of people do through Lunchables), then I think it's a good idea to offer them a higher quality version for around the same price.” to offer (In my opinion) and why we launched Lunchly. Additionally, because we can achieve economies of scale and get things cheaper, we will continue to improve the product.

A community note was then added to MrBeast's post which read: “Feastables chocolates were also marketed as being healthier than other chocolate bars (only 5 ingredients!) Later the recipe was reformulated; they are now not healthier and the additional ingredients are referred to as “unsweetened chocolate” counts as one of the 5 ingredients.”

While the criticism may be valid when you look at the nutritional information of each Lunchly meal and its Lunchable comparison, the products sold by the YouTubers may represent a healthier alternative – but that doesn't mean they're healthy foods.

According to a study published in the journal, highly processed foods account for nearly 60 percent of our energy intake in the United States BMJ. These include packaged snacks, carbonated drinks, instant noodles, convenience foods and most products that contain a long list of ingredients, preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners and artificial flavors.

Numerous studies have linked highly processed foods to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and colon cancer, as well as obesity.

Update 10/22/24, 4 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from a Lunchly representative.

Update 10/22/24, 10:48 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with further context.

Update 10/22/24, 11:34 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include commentary from a source close to the product.