A YouTuber has branded the newly launched Lunchly packs ‘disgusting’ after she found moldy cheese inside a packet she had just opened.
Rosanna Pansino called out MrBeast, who is one of the biggest names on YouTube, – warning people that his brand may not be safe.
MrBeast, whose real name is James Donaldson, launched Lunchly in September in collaboration with fellow content creators Logan Paul and KSI, advertising it as a ‘healthier alternative’ to Lunchables.
The packed-lunch includes one of three options – ‘Turkey Stack ‘Ems’, ‘The Pizza’ and ‘Fiesta Nachos’ – as well as a bottle of sports drink Prime and a chocolate bar created by MrBeast.
But while filming a YouTube video trying out the brand, Ms Pasino said she found the shredded cheese in ‘The Pizza’ option was covered in mould, despite being well within its best-before date.
MrBeast (centre) launched Lunchly in September in collaboration with fellow content creators Logan Paul (right) and KSI (left) , advertising it as a ‘healthier alternative’ to Lunchables
A picture of the mold that Rosanna Pansino said she found in her Lunchly packet
Other TikTokkers have also posted videos claiming they too have found mold in their Lunchly packs
She posted on X: ‘This is disgusting. I was filming a video comparing Lunchables to Lunchly and was shocked when I opened ‘The Pizza’ Lunchly. The cheese had MOLD!’
‘The expiration date was still 2 months away! I checked online and found at least a dozen other people posting that their Lunchly’s were moldy too. Full video is on my YouTube channel.’
It comes as other TikTokkers have also posted videos claiming they too have found mold in their Lunchly packs.
In a promotional video for ‘The Pizza’, MrBeast, who claims to earn around £550million-a-year on YouTube from his stunts and challenges, previously boasted that ‘our pizza uses real cheese’.
The product is also described online as: ‘Enter the one, the only—’The Pizza.’ Crafted with premium, toppings you can trust, each LUNCHLY box brings you 12g of protein per package and 400mg of electrolytes per PRIME Hydration.
‘No secrets in our sauce – just bold bites and good vibes.’
However, in her YouTube video, Ms Pasino says: ‘These ones are supposed to be good until December and we got them from the store.
‘It says use by December 4, 2024 and today’s date is 16 October, so these are supposed to be good for another two months.
‘This is molded. That’s mold! This is not safe, especially kids that are so young, they might not know what mould looks like so they might just eat it.
TikTokkers have been posting on the social media platform images of what they claim to be mold in their Lunchly packets
Pictured: What appears to be mold on a lunchly packet posted by a user on TikTok
TikTokker opens packet to find what appears to be mold on the shredded cheese
TikTokker says they are now eating Lunchables are they found ‘mold’ on their Lunchy packet
‘This is really unhealthy, you should not eat mold. I think it’s a packaging issue, the sealant here feels really cheap. It is not vacuum-tight.’
She goes on to insist that she ‘did not fake this’ and was only doing a video comparing Lunchly to Lunchables.
The claims come amid criticism of the lunchboxes from campaign groups and other YouTubers.
Nika Pajda of youth campaign group Bite Back said: ‘Lunchly is the latest example of products that are high in fat, salt or sugar targeting young people, and it’s particularly worrying to see it being pushed by social media stars who are so influential to children.’
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In a statement, Lunchly said: ‘All Lunchly 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.’
DailMail.com has contacted the company and MrBeast for further comment.
MrBeast is YouTube’s most followed creator and claims to earn £550million per year, thanks to his expensive stunts and challenges.
The 26-year-old from Wichita, Kansas uploaded his first YouTube video in February 2012, aged 13.
His early content revolved around harmless pranks on friends and he first went viral in 2017 with a video of himself counting to 100,000 – a stunt that took over 40 hours to complete.
As his following grew, Donaldson moved towards the lavish giveaways that have become his trademark.
YouTube star MrBeast (pictured) was once hailed as a ‘philanthropist’ but multiple events have seen his reputation thrown into doubt
On his 26th birthday, MrBeast took to Instagram to announce he was giving away six Teslas
MrBeast (pictured in 2023) is YouTube’s most subscribed-to creator, with 317 million followers
It started small, giving away cash prizes to members of his community, but quickly gathered momentum and by 2018 he was donating $100,000 worth of products to a homeless shelter.
In one video, he dropped $20,000 out of a drone and gave a pizza man the house he was delivering to as a tip.
Donaldson himself credited his success to innovative thinking and calculated risk-taking.
In 2021, it was reported that less than half (45 per cent) of his earnings were reinvested in his channel.
However, the stunts have also been known to divide opinion. In January, he released a video showing scores of people from the US and across the world whose severe cataracts he had removed with the help of a not-for-profit eye care organization.
Some critics questioned whether he was being kind for clicks, but the doctor who performed the surgery said many patients had benefited.
Similarly, he was lambasted online for gifting a young waitress a new car covered in logos as a tip – with several slamming the gesture as a shameless publicity grab.
Donaldson – for his part – explained his generosity in a video in 2018. ‘I genuinely enjoy helping people’, he said.
Earlier this year, MrBeast revealed that he makes an eye-watering £550 million a year, but claimed not to be rich.
The social media star said everything he makes from a video or post gets reinvested into future content or giveaways.