When YouTube’s new biggest power trio—MrBeast, Logan Paul, and KSI—announced their latest business collaboration, Lunchly, the internet buzzed with anticipation. Marketed as a “next-generation Lunchables” for kids and young adults, the product promised to combine nutrition, convenience, and a touch of influencer hype. But instead of becoming a symbol of innovation, Lunchly unraveled into a shocking tale of mold, mismanagement, and marketing gone wrong.

Image Credit: Lunchly LLC from Wikimedia Commons

A Promising Start: The Rise of Lunchly

Lunchly debuted on September 16, 2024, with a high-energy campaign led by its creators. The kits featured familiar comfort foods—crackers, pizza, nachos—all paired with Logan Paul and KSI’s viral Prime drink and MrBeast’s Feastables chocolate bar. For fans of their brands, it seemed like a perfect fit: a product blending their individual entrepreneurial ventures into a one-stop snack empire.

Their pitch? Lunchly would be a healthier, tastier, and more exciting alternative to the Lunchables we all grew up with. At around $4, it was priced competitively, and the creators' massive influence—millions of fans across social platforms—ensured pre-orders within weeks. The media spotlight was blinding, but cracks began to show almost immediately.

Image Credit: Isaac Zilvitis from Wikimedia Commons

First Warning Signs: Concerns and Criticism

Critics were quick to point out issues. Various health professionals flagged the kits as misleadingly healthy, citing high sugar levels in Prime and the sodium-packed main courses.

Doctor Mike, a notable YouTuber and board-certified family physician, addressed this issue—stating that one Lunchly pack didn’t contain enough calories to feed the average kid. Advertising the product as a “healthier” alternative, Doctor Mike claims, is a one-way street into confusion for parents about the actual nutritional value.

Image Credit: Katie Smith from Unsplash

DanTDM’s Critique

As the Lunchly controversy continued to unfold, some of YouTube’s biggest stars began to speak out. DanTDM, known for his kid-friendly Let’s Play videos, came into direct conflict with the business trio. In a viral tweet that gained widespread attention, DanTDM wrote,

“This is selling stuff for the sake of making money, simple. How does this benefit their fans? This is selling crap to kids who don’t know better than to trust the people who are selling it to them. Do better.”

Logan Paul quickly jumped to defense for his creation. He tweeted back a day later:

“You don’t say anything when Lunchables faces bans for allegedly containing LEAD but when we create a better version, you’re upset? Then don’t eat it.”

KSI seemed to add more fuel to this fire, retweeting several pictures of DanTDM’s YouTooz toy, writing:

“Looks like crap to me.”

With this, it seemed the controversy wasn’t cooling down anytime soon. Many began to criticize the Lunchly trio, citing hypocrisy in statements such as KSI’s, pointing out that he has both worked with YouTooz and has featured the company’s Co-Founder and CEO, Austin Long, in his videos.

Image Credit: Alexis Doine from Wikimedia Commons

Still, on the other side of the aisle stood a loyal fanbase that seemed to rally behind Lunchly no matter what, brushing off criticisms as jealousy or nitpicking. That is, until October 2024, when YouTuber and baking icon Rosanna Pansino posted a video that shocked the internet.

The Mold Incident

In her viral exposé, Pansino opened a Lunchly pizza kit—still within its expiration date—only to find the cheese covered in mold. Her disgust was undeniable as she described how the product had been stored properly yet was clearly unsafe for consumption. She concluded:

“This is not safe, especially [for] kids that are so young, they may not know what mold looks like, so they might just eat it.”

Pansino’s discovery ignited other consumers to launch inspections on their own Lunchly kits. Within days, consumers flooded social media with their own horror stories: moldy crackers, foul-smelling cheese, and even food poisoning.

The Food and Drug Administration confirmed it had received over ten formal complaints about Lunchly products, including one customer who claimed to receive an illness. Hashtags like #LunchlyFail and trends ridiculing the abundance of mold trended on platforms such as X and TikTok, tarnishing the once-promising brand.

Image Credit: Ibrahim.ID from Wikimedia Commons

The Fallout

Despite numerous calls for a proper explanation, the trio’s response only fueled the fire. Logan Paul and KSI dismissed the backlash during an episode of their Impaulsive podcast. Logan Paul remarked:

“Man, you want to say something and get some likes? Just tweet about Lunchly!”

His statement sparked even more outrage. MrBeast, usually known for his charitable persona, stayed noticeably silent, leading some to question whether he was distancing himself from the debacle.

Image Credit: Tanner Fox from Wikimedia Commons

To make matters worse, speculation online suggested that Lunchly may have prioritized meeting pre-order demand over thorough quality control, though no official evidence or confirmation has surfaced.

The Empire Crumbles

Lunchly was pulled from several retail shelves by late October, with refunds issued to furious customers. The scandal didn’t just hurt Lunchly—it tainted the creators’ individual brands. Sales of Prime and Feastables plummeted, with parents vowing to boycott any product tied to the creators. Additionally, MrBeast’s typically immaculate reputation took a hit, with critics questioning his judgment in aligning with Paul and KSI for Lunchly in the first place. Trust, the foundation of their influence, had been irreparably damaged.

What Went Wrong?

Overall, the Lunchly scandal showed the dangers of influencers pushing their brands without proper oversight, especially when their audience includes children. The trio’s failure to take early criticism seriously and their dismissive response to valid concerns fueled their downfall.

In the end, the Lunchly scandal wasn’t just about cheese—it was about trust, and that’s far harder to replace than crackers and nachos.