Preparation
- Always wash your hands (and your child's if he's helping!) prior to handling food.
- Make sure all preparation surfaces are clean to avoid cross-contamination.
- If you are cooking food that will be eaten cold, allow enough time to chill it thoroughly prior to packing.
- If you are packing your child's lunch in a reusable bag or box, make sure it has been washed in warm soapy water after each use.
Storage
Keep perishable food out of the "danger zone". Harmful bacteria multiply quickly between the temperatures of 40AAA°F and 140AAA°F.
- To keep cold foods cold, refrigerate lunches until you're ready to walk out the door, and include an ice pack with perishable items.
- To keep hot foods hot, fill an insulated thermos with boiling water, let stand 5 minutes. While you are waiting, bring the food to a boil, empty the thermos, and then pour in the hot food. Keep it closed until lunchtime to keep it safe.
- Some foods that don't require an ice pack include fruits, vegetables, trail mix, breads, hard cheeses, canned foods (as long as they are consumed immediately upon opening), nut butters, jelly, mustard, and pickles.
Although packing lunches may take a little more time than handing your kids a fistful of cash as they dart out the front door, it is also an opportunity to teach nutrition and planning skills, and to connect with your kids. Research shows that kids who eat healthy throughout childhood are more likely to be healthy adults, and packing a healthy lunch is yet another way to promote this behavior.
Okay, so maybe in a dream world you'd always be able to pack a tasty and nutritious lunch for your child. Sometimes (or most of the time) you need to rely on the school cafeteria. Read "The School Lunch Dilemma" for tips to help your child make the best choices in the lunch line.
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