School lunches aren’t what they used to be. If you go by the ones you see on Pinterest, they look like works of art. If you listen to what other mums are boxing up, it sounds like they’re trying out for MasterChef.
Those parents who send their kids off with a Vegemite sandwich and a banana probably don’t go around bragging about it. But that kind of old-school school lunch does have one advantage: it’s not likely to give your kid food poisoning.
A food safety expert, who spoke to The Motherish but asked to remain anonymous, said she was concerned about some of the food being packed into school lunchboxes.
“Creativity is great, if you have the time for it, which I personally don’t,” the expert explains. “But food safety is another consideration, which is probably not commonly thought through.”
"High-risk" foods need to be kept cold to be safe. These foods include:
Cooked rice
Leftovers, such as cooked chicken
Most dips
Certain cut-up fruits, such as rockmelon
Berries, especially raspberries
Leaf salad
Packing these foods in an insulated lunchbox isn't enough. There needs to be at least one ice pack in the lunchbox, preferably two. The food needs to be kept cold, right up until it's time to eat. Depending on the school, and where the bags are kept, that can be difficult. There's also the issue of kids going to before-school care, and lunches remaining in bags for longer.
