The Health Benefits of Packing Home Lunches For Your Children

School is just around the corner. With it comes big decisions that your kids must make. Should they get the Star Wars or Star Trek lunch box? Should they go with Frozen or Cinderella? Or something more subtle, like a classic cartoon? Regardless, once that important decision is made, parents have to then figure out what healthy meals to pack and how to safely pack them.

We have compiled the tips below from a technical information specialist who works with the Food and Safety Inspection Service.

Food and Lunch Safety Tips and Facts

• Make shopping fun! Lunch boxes come in all sizes, shapes, colors and themes. Allow your child to play a role in picking his or her lunch box so that he or she is excited to open it each day.
• Some lunch boxes come equipped with thermoses: these must be able to maintain a temperature greater than 140 degrees for 4-5 hours in order to be safe from bacteria.
• Always clean the lunch box or thermos before and after each use. This goes for any Tupperware or packaging that is used as well.
• Insure that the lunch box is large enough to hold at a minimum two ice packs.
• Do not leave food at room temperature for any more than two hours.
• Learn about the Danger Zone: temperatures ranging between 40 and 140 degrees. Without an ice pack, food that is in the danger zone will become quickly perishable and unsafe for consumption due to possible bacterial growth.

Did You Know?

It is important to remind the administrators at your child’s school to establish adequate time for washing hands with anti-bacterial soap and water thoroughly both before and after consuming any food items.

• Roughly 1 out of 6 people in the United States suffer from food poisoning
• There are over 42,000 cases of salmonella infections each year; over 21,000 of those afflicted with salmonella are between the ages of 0-18.
• It is best to pack lunches into plastic sandwich bags right before putting them into a lunch box, even if the food itself was prepared some period of time beforehand.
• Lastly, if you are running short on ice packs, do not forget that frozen juice boxes can serve as a short-term replacement!

For additional information on how to keep your child safe from food borne illnesses and other food-related ailments, please visit: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/home, which is home to the FSIS’ services through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Once again, please remember that prior to making any changes to you or your child’s diet or lifestyle to directly consult with a medical professional.

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The Philadelphia lawyers at Galfand Berger can help answer questions and concerns. With offices located in Philadelphia, Reading and Bethlehem, we serve clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. To schedule a consultation, call us at 800-222-8792 or complete our online contact form.