School Lunches: Chill It!

Recently, a study on food temperatures in children's lunchboxes was published in the American Academy of Pediatrics' Journal, Pediatrics. Researchers looked at children's lunches to see if they had ice packs or not and if the food was at safe temperatures.

We asked Le Bonheur clinical dietitian Allison Beck, RD, LDN, CNSD to weigh in on the study and the importance of keeping food at safe temperatures. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the "danger zone" for food temperature is considered between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. These temperatures allow bacteria to grow most rapidly.

Allison has some great recommendations for parents:

? To decrease a chance of your child getting a food-borne illness, always start clean: clean hands, clean containers, clean utensils

? Prepare any foods for your child's lunch the night before and allow them to chill overnight in the fridge. The colder an item is going into the lunch bag, the longer it will take to reach the "danger zone" of 40-140 degrees Fahrenheit.

? Pack cold and hot items separately and keep them separate. Do not put a thermos with warm contents in the cool lunch pack.

? Since cold air settles, it would be more effective to have ice packs on top of the items instead of below them.

? If your center/school has a fridge for you to use, make sure the lunch bag is placed in the fridge as soon as you drop your child off. Bags sitting at room temperature will begin to warm up; and based on the study it does not appear that it will get cooler in the fridge.

? If your child's lunch is stored in a refrigerator during the day, it may be better to pack it in a non-insulated bag instead.

? Although insulated bags are meant to keep the cool (or heat) from getting out, based on the study, it seems like it may also prevent the cool from getting in. A non-insulated bag should help the refrigerator temps to reach the food inside better. Just make sure the bag is placed in the fridge promptly.