Back to School Safety Lunch Tips
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, September 2nd, 2011
Now that school is back in session (or will be soon), The New York Times shares a few tips on how to pack lunch safely so that your child (or children) won’t get sick from food borne illnesses. Here are a few of them:
1. A lunch box or lunch bag with an insulated lining with a pocket is a great prevent the lunch from spoiling. By placing a freezer pack or a hot pack into the provided pocket, it will help keep the lunch cold or hot until it is ready to be eaten. So even though these carriers might not be as stylish as the Transformers or Dora the Explorer lunch box that your kid wanted, at least it’ll keep their food safe.
2. Fresh fruits and dried fruits are a good addition to the lunch and can be kept safely at room temperature. Make sure to wash all fruits before packing them since there can be bacteria living on the outside of the fruit.
3. If you’re planning to pack boxed milk or juice, freeze them beforehand so that they can keep the rest of the food cool and thaw by lunch time.
4. Peanut butter and sliced cheese can be kept at room temperature without spoiling.
5. If you’re planning to make a sandwich with lunch meat for your child, freeze it beforehand, and it will thaw by lunchtime. Wash the vegetables and pack separately.
6. Pack a mini hand sanitizer or an anti-bacterial towelette so that your child can clean their hands before eating.
Happy Friday and have a long and safe weekend!
- Mai Nguyen
Tags: Borne, food, Illnesses, lunch, Mai Nguyen, Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Magazine, NoVA, school