As children head back to school, keeping your child’s bagged lunch safe should be included on the back-to-school to-do list. Food safety may not be on the radar for most kids, but simply practicing safe cooking and food preparation can go a long way in helping your kids avoid food-borne illness. A case of food-borne illness from an improperly kept lunch will not be fun for anyone!

When planning and preparing packed lunches, using some basic food safety steps will help keep the lunch from home safe. Busy parents will be glad to know that practicing proper food safety to help reduce their family’s risk of foodborne illness is as easy as “clean, separate, cook, and chill.”

When packing lunches, keep the following food safety tips in mind:

Clean

• Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least twenty seconds before you prepare food. Sing “Happy Birthday” twice while washing your hands to make sure you are washing long enough to send germs down the drain!
• Use hot water and soap to make sure food preparation surfaces and utensils are clean.
• Thoroughly wash all fruits and vegetables under running tap water, and then dry them with a paper towel before adding them to the lunch bag. Don’t forget to also wash any produce with an inedible peel or rind such as bananas, oranges, and avocados. Bacteria from the outer peel can be transferred to the hands and then onto the edible part of the fruit.
• Wash insulated lunch totes or boxes with hot, soapy water after each use.

 Separate

• To prevent cross-contamination, always use a clean cutting board.  Use one cutting board for fresh produce or bread and a separate one for meat, poultry, and seafood.
• Make sure your child knows to throw out all used food packaging and perishable leftovers.
• Do not reuse plastic bags or food packaging as they could contaminate other foods, leading to foodborne illness.
• Ideally, children should wash their hands before lunch. Alternatively, put a pocket-size hand sanitizer or moistened antibacterial towelette in the lunch box and instruct them to use it before they eat.

Cook

• Keep hot food above 135°F.
• Use an insulated bottle to keep foods hot. Fill the bottle with boiling water and let it stand for a few minutes. Empty the bottle and then fill it with hot food. Keep the bottle closed until lunchtime. Soup, chili, or even mac-and-cheese will remain hot until lunchtime.
• When making lunches, be sure to cook all poultry, eggs, and meat thoroughly. Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat.
• You might consider pantry-safe foods packed in easy to open containers, such as tuna that can be eaten out of a flip-top can.

Chill

• If you prepare lunch the night before, keep it cool in the fridge overnight. Make sure the refrigerator is 40°F or below at all times, and use an appliance thermometer to check the temperature.
• Some sandwiches, for example, those made with lunch meats, hummus, tuna, or egg salad, can be frozen as well; they’ll thaw by lunchtime.
• Insulated lunch totes are best for keeping perishable foods chilled.  A cold source, such as a frozen gel pack, frozen juice box, or frozen bottle of water, should be packed with perishable foods. Frozen gel packs will keep foods cold until lunchtime but are not recommended for all-day storage.
• Encourage your child to store his/her lunch in a refrigerator if one is available. If not, make sure your child keeps the lunch out of direct sunlight and away from radiators, baseboards, and other heat sources found in the classroom.
• A standard rule of food safety is to keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot until it is time to eat them. Temperatures in the “danger zone” between 40°F and 135°F are not uncommon in packed lunches that sit in warm classrooms for hours; ideal conditions for bacterial growth.

Get your kids involved in picking foods and packing their own lunches! If they have a say in selecting items from your real food pantry, their food is more likely to end up in their bellies rather than the garbage can. Make sure to pack real, nourishing foods: some protein, vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and dairy. Follow these simple steps, and your school year will be off to a healthy and safe start!

Written by Vicki Hayman, MS, University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition and Food Safety Educator

Sources:

• fightbac.org/
• foodsafety.gov/
• foodinsight.org/
• usda.gov/