Keeping your child’s lunchbox safe

The typical Australian summer sizzling heat and our kids are getting ready to return to school here are 5 simple lunchbox food safety tips, issued by the Food Safety Information Council:

– When buying lunch boxes choose ones that have room for a frozen drink or freezer block and are easy to clean and dry.
– Always wash and dry your hands thoroughly before preparing food.
– Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
– Make sure lunchbox foods re always well separated from other foods in the refrigerator, particularly raw meats, chicken and fish.
– Keep the lunch cool in the fridge until you are about to leave home.

Food Safety Information Council Chair, Rachelle Williams advised:
‘We need to transport food to school safely to ensure our kids don’t become one of the estimated 4.1 million cases of food poisoning in Australia each year. Bacteria can grow quickly in some foods, like cooked poultry and other meats, dairy products and sandwich fillings, so it is important to keep their lunchbox cool.

‘At school your child’s lunchbox will stay cool until lunchtime if kept in their school bag with a frozen drink or freezer block inside the lunchbox,’ Ms Williams concluded.