Throughout the Great Depression, bologna was a lifeline for many people. Made out of discarded pieces of meat (in some cases, it even contained organs), it was cheap, accessible, filling, and easy to slap between two slices of white bread. But decades later, when faced with more competition on the shelves than ever, bologna meat started to fall out of favor. Until the arrival of Lunchables, that is.
Back in the 1980s, processed meat giant Oscar Mayer—now owned by Kraft Heinz—developed the popular prepackaged meals in an attempt to make bologna meat appealing again, and it worked. Lunchables—which now contain a variety of processed meats, alongside processed cheese and crackers—were an instant hit with families all over the US, and they have been a mainstay on shelves ever since. Last year, they even made it onto school lunch menus.
The kid-friendly kits have not often been…