There will be a huge return of packed lunch boxes with school starting again this week. But some of the most popular food that we pack may be classified as higher risk food. What foods do we need to look out for?
Food that contains ingredients such as meat, poultry, soft cheese or eggs are considered dangerous. Bacteria already easily growing between temperatures of 5-60 ºC. It only takes a few hours for bacteria to multiply to dangerous levels increasing the risk of food poisoning. If these are packed in a children’s lunch, parents should make sure that extra care is taken to keep it food safe.
Don’t get sick from your lunchbox!
Some ways to ensure that students will not get sick:
- Encourage hand washing before they eat
- Freeze a popper and place it in the lunch bag with the sandwich to keep the lunch cool
- Select low-risk foods such as hard cheeses, freshly cooked meats and poultry, fresh, well-washed fruits and vegetables, shelf-stable snacks and sandwich spreads.
What are some habits that you need to adapt for packing lunches throughout 2018? What are some ideas you might need to add to your food business?
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