Pack Cool for School
Advice on packed Lunches
School meals are not always popular with children and many parents feel that providing a packed lunch is the best way of ensuring a healthy, nutritious and well-balanced meal. Packed lunches are often prepared many hours in advance and, unfortunately, food left in school bags in warm classrooms or next to radiators is an ideal breeding ground for the bacteria that cause food poisoning.
According to the Food Standards Agency, it is estimated up to 5.5 million people in the UK (one in ten) are affected by food poisoning each year. Only a small number of these visit their GP or get medical advice.
Most cases of food poisoning are not reported because people have mild symptoms and recover quickly. As a result, less than 100,000 cases a year are tested and the exact cause investigated.
Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of food poisoning, so it is essential that care is taken when preparing their food. Although this leaflet has been prepared with children's lunch boxes in mind, the advice is relevant to anyone preparing packed lunches or picnics.
Preparation
- Wash and dry your hands before you start. Cover any cuts with a waterproof plaster.
- Clean and disinfect work surfaces before and after food preparation.
- Check that all food to be used is within the 'use by' or 'best before' date.
- Wash all salad ingredients under cold running water, including bags of ready-prepared salad.
- Keep raw and cooked foods separate during storage and preparation. If possible use different chopping boards and utensils for cooked and raw produce. Wipe over the chopping board with a hygienic cleaner in between preparation of different foods.
- Meat and poultry should be cooked thoroughly to destroy bacteria. It should be cooled as quickly as possible - in no more than 90 minutes - and stored in the fridge until required. Never put hot food in the fridge.
- If using eggs they must be hard-boiled for 10 minutes and then placed in a pan of cold water.
- Ideally, sandwiches are best made fresh in the morning, but if made in advance they should be kept overnight in the fridge or frozen depending on the filling. To keep sandwiches fresh wrap with greaseproof paper or foil, and place in a plastic sandwich box.
Storage
Warm conditions encourage the growth of bacteria so it is essential to keep packed lunches cool.
- Whenever possible, chill food and drink to be included in the lunchbox as this will help to keep it cool.
- The best way to keep food cool is to pack it in an insulated cool bag along with an ice pack. Cold air sinks - so place the ice pack on top of the food. Cool bags should be used throughout the year.
- Small cartons of fruit juice can be frozen - then to help keep sandwiches cool, pack the frozen cartons around them.
- Pack snacks for breaks separately from lunch items to prevent the lunch pack from being opened too often.
- Choose a bag that is big enough to carry a lunch box and an ice pack, but avoid bags which are too big as they will not work as well.
Choosing an Insulated Cool Bag
- Ideally the bag should have external pockets so that items which are to be eaten at break time, such as crisps and fruit, can be packed separately.
- Make sure that the bag can be opened easily - some can be particularly difficult for young children to open.
- Choose a bag that is durable and easy to carry. Bags that have a very rigid construction are more difficult for children to carry and more susceptible to damage.
- Choose a bag that can be easily cleaned, both inside and out. Wipe over bags or boxes regularly with a disinfectant.
- Ice packs are available in a range of different sizes and shapes from supermarkets or department stores.
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