No, there isn’t a Lunchables recall over claims of glass shards in cheese dip

Some parents are worried after social media posts claimed glass was found in a popular snack for children. 

VERIFY reader Pam shared a screenshot of a Facebook post where someone claimed there have been “multiple cases” of people finding shards of glass in their Lunchables nacho cheese dip. The post was shared more than 100,000 times. 

Several people on Facebook have claimed there is a recall on the Lunchables nacho cheese product because of the issue. Recent online search data also show people are wondering if there is a Lunchables recall. 

THE QUESTION

Is there a Lunchables recall over claims of glass shards in the nacho cheese dip?

THE SOURCES

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Kraft Heinz, Lunchables’ parent company 
• Dairy Foods column written by John Lucey, Ph.D., a professor of food science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

THE ANSWER

No, there isn’t a Lunchables recall over claims of glass shards in the nacho cheese dip. 

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WHAT WE FOUND

Kraft Heinz, Lunchables’ parent company, has not issued a voluntary recall for the nacho cheese product in response to the online posts, which likely show edible crystals that form during processing – not glass. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received complaints about the Lunchables product through its CFSAN Adverse Event Reporting System. But the federal agency, which requests or mandates recalls in some cases, hasn’t issued one for the Lunchables product, either.   

The crystals people are seeing in their Lunchables nacho cheese dip are “not glass and present no safety issue,” a spokesperson for Kraft Heinz said. 

“It is likely that the perceived glass is actually salt/phosphate generated as a byproduct during processing,” a spokesperson for the FDA said in an email. “This can also happen in seafood, as naturally forming crystals, for instance, in canned tuna, during the natural canning process.”

Certain ingredients in the Lunchables nacho cheese dip can cause salt-like phosphate crystals to form on rare occasions, according to Kraft Heinz. Sodium phosphates are listed online as one of the ingredients in the Lunchables nacho cheese dip and salsa product.

“A loss of moisture or extreme temperatures can cause the crystals, similar to how freezer burn can occur in frozen foods,” the company spokesperson said. 

Alexandria Jones, who lives in Georgia and purchased the Lunchables product, also put the theories about glass shards to the test. 

Jones wrote in a Facebook post on Jan. 24 that she found hard, sharp lumps in the Lunchables cheese dip. But when she put the particles on her fingers and ran them under hot water, they got smaller before eventually disappearing, she told VERIFY in a Facebook message. 

John Lucey, Ph.D., a professor of food science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, wrote in a 2014 column for a dairy industry magazine that crystals can form in both natural and processed cheese products. The crystals can look like white dots inside the cheese, or white lines or spots on the outside of it, he said. 

Though the salt-like crystals are safe to eat and won’t cause illness, they can “create an unappealing texture,” Kraft Heinz said. 

Customers who found the crystals in their Lunchables can contact Kraft Heinz online or by calling 1-800-222-2323 so the company can “investigate and provide a refund,” the spokesperson said. 

Kraft Heinz apologized to anyone who experienced the crystals in their Lunchables and said the company has “quickly taken action to prevent further occurrences.”