10 Mind-Easing Ways To Make Sure Your Childs Bag Lunch Is Safe


Perishable food must be kept cold while commuting via bus,bicycle, on foot, in a car, or on the subway. After arrivingat school or work, perishable food must be kept cold untillunchtime.

Why? Harmful bacteria multiply rapidly in the "danger zone"(the temperatures between 40° F and 140° F). So, perishablefood transported without an ice source won't stay safe long.Here are safe handling recommendations to prevent food-borneillness from "bag" lunches.

1. Perishable food, such as raw or cooked meat and poultry,must be kept cold or frozen at the store and at home. Eggsshould be purchased cold at the store and kept cold at home.

2. Transport perishable food as fast as possible when no icesource is available. At the destination, keep it cold. Foodshould not be left out at room temperature more than 2 hours(1 hour if the temperature is above 90° F).

3. Prepackaged combos that contain luncheon meats along withcrackers, cheese, and condiments must also be keptrefrigerated. This includes luncheon meats and smoked hamwhich are cured or contain preservatives.

4. At lunchtime, discard all used food packaging and paperbags. Do not reuse packaging because it could contaminateother food and cause food-borne illness.

5. Pack just the amount of perishable food that can be eatenat lunch. That way, there won't be a problem about thestorage or safety of leftovers.

6. It's fine to prepare the food the night before and storethe packed lunch in the refrigerator. Freezing sandwicheshelps them stay cold. However, for best quality don't freezesandwiches containing mayonnaise, lettuce, or tomatoes. Addthese later.

7. Insulated, soft-sided lunch boxes or bags are best forkeeping food cold, but metal or plastic lunch boxes andpaper bags can also be used. If using paper lunch bags,create layers by double bagging to help insulate the food.An ice source should be packed with perishable food in anytype of lunch bag or box.

8. Prepare cooked food, such as turkey, ham, chicken, andvegetable or pasta salads, ahead of time to allow forthorough chilling in the refrigerator. Divide large amountsof food into shallow containers for fast chilling and easieruse. Keep cooked food refrigerated until time to leave home.

9. To keep lunches cold away from home, include a smallfrozen gel pack or frozen juice box. Of course, if there's arefrigerator available, store perishable items there uponarrival.

10. Use an insulated container to keep food like soup, chiliand stew hot. Fill the container with boiling water, letstand for a few minutes, empty, and then put in the pipinghot food. Keep the insulated container closed until lunchtime to keep the food hot (140° F or above).

Terry Nicholls
My Home-Based Business Advisor
www.my-home-based-business-advisor.com

Copyright © by Terry Nicholls. All Rights Reserved.

About The Author

Terry Nicholls is the author of the eBook "Food Safety: Protecting Your Family From Food Poisoning". In addition, he writes from his own experiences in trying to start his own home-based business. To benefit from his success, visit My Home-Based Business Advisor - Helping YOUR Home Business Start and Succeed for free help for YOUR home business, including ideas, startup, and expansion advice.

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