In September, MrBeast (a.k.a Jimmy Donaldson) announced his plans for a Lunchables competitor called Lunchly alongside fellow YouTubers Logan Paul and Olajide “KSI” Olatunji. Mere weeks later, and the company is facing serious consumer complaints.
The kid-friendly meal kits, which were intended as a healthier alternative to the iconic snack boxes that are controversial in their own right, aren’t quite so kid-friendly—or, allegedly, edible, for that matter. According to baking YouTuber, cookbook author, and known MrBeast critic Rosanna Pansino, she found mold in Lunchly. And she isn’t the only one.
Pansino even double checked the expiration date, which was stamped as “Use by December 8, 2024.” While her initial goal of the video was to compare the nutrients in the Lunchly against a Lunchable, the social media personality found clumps of mold on the cheese inside the packaging and used it as an opportunity to educate viewers.
“Especially kids that are so young, they maybe don’t know what mold looks like, so they might just eat it,” Pansino said in the video. “This is really unhealthy. You should not eat mold.”
“Please be careful everyone. This is not safe and not okay. Especially for children!” she said.
Fans and fellow influencers shared similar experiences.
“The cheese is moldy,” @king.asante said on TikTok.
“I like my cheese moldy bruh,” another TikToker joked online. They even shared close-ups of the moldy mini pizzas.
A spokesperson for Lunchly told The Daily Mail that all of their products “go through a stringent review process to ensure the quality and safety of its products. That process consists of multiple inspections and approvals, including that of the USDA, before any product can even leave the manufacturing facility.”
Meanwhile, a “source close to MrBeast’s operation” said to “consider the context and the source” in what seems like a jab at Pansino; the two notoriously have beef. According to Vulture, she accused him of editing her out of a video and questioned the validity of his philanthropic videos. She also claimed that she has “spoken with over 200 Beast Games contestants, more than 50 current and former MrBeast employees, as well as other people hurt & harassed by more companies.”
She isn’t the only one to call out MrBeast, either. Contestants of his reality competition show, Beast Games, which hasn’t even been released yet, have sued him and Amazon over “chronic mistreatment,” neglect, and sexual harassment, the outlet reports. He came under fire previously for racist and homophobic comments as well. Looks like we’ll just add Moldgate to his growing list of controversies.
Megan Schaltegger is an NYC-based writer. She loves strong coffee, eating her way through the Manhattan food scene, and her dog, Murray. She promises not to talk about herself in third person IRL.
