Blog Site Discontinued June 23, 2017

Welcome. This blog site, healthy eating and food safety, has been discontinued as of June 23, 2017. I look forward to your comments and feedback regarding use of this tool to disseminate educational information.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Remember Simple Food Safety Tips When Packing Kids' School Lunches

Remember Simple Food Safety Tips When Packing Kids’        School Lunches

Keep food safety in mind as you prepare your child’s school lunch. Here are some recommendations for packing a safe school lunch.
- Make sure your hands, food preparation surfaces and utensils are clean. Keep family pets away from food preparation areas and off kitchen counters. Encourage your children to always wash their hands before they eat or help you in the kitchen.
- Wash fruits and vegetables before packing them in your child’s lunch. Rinse them under running tap water, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten.
- Keep hot foods such as chili and soup hot by using an insulated bottle. Fill the bottle with boiling water and let it stand for a few minutes. Empty the bottle and then fill with piping hot food. Discard leftovers that arrive home in the insulated bottle at the end of the school day.
- Cold foods should stay cold. Insulated, soft-sided lunch totes can keep perishable foods chilled by adding simply add a cold source, such as a small gel pack or frozen juice box. Any perishable food not eaten at lunch should be discarded.
- Resist the urge to reuse plastic sandwich bags or bread bags when packing school lunches. Bacteria can spread from one product to another, increasing the chance of spoilage or illness.
Source: Barbara Ingham, UW-Extension Food Safety Specialist

1 comment:

  1. Most of the parents would not be aware with these factors. When they packs theirs children's lunch boxes, they should know about such things.

    ReplyDelete