Note: This week we're focusing on back to school with food safety and nutrition advice for parents and kids. Check back all week for a different topic each day. 

By: Katie Burns Date: 8/9/10 

When I think back on my experience in elementary school, it’s hard to forget the lunches my dad packed for my brother and me.  We got a sandwich (Owen’s, peanut butter; mine, peanut butter and jelly), an apple or a banana, a granola bar and a bag of pretzels tucked into a brown, paper bag with an “O” on Owen’s and a “K” scrawled on mine.  While my dad did a great job providing us with over 1,400 lunches throughout elementary school tenure, there are some tips that may have been useful then and will certainly be useful for parents, students and teachers alike today!  

As summer days are coming to an end and school days loom on the horizon, it seems like as good a time as any for a refresher course on packing safe school lunches.  The food safety basics (clean, separate, cook and chill) are still relevant for school lunches, but there are some nuances specific to packed lunches:

CLEAN

·         ALWAYS wash hands before and after handling food;

·         Rinse whole, fresh fruits and vegetables under running tap water before packing in the lunchbox;

·         Wash the insulated lunch tote every evening before re-using.

SEPARATE

·         Discard leftover perishable foods, such as meat sandwiches or fruit salad;

·         Make sure your child discards all food packaging and paper bags after lunchtime, so as not to contaminate other food.

COOK

·         Use an insulated container to keep hot foods hot, over 140⁰ F;

·         Review instructions for frozen, convenience meals with your child to ensure they are followed completely—including stand time!

CHILL

·         Use an insulated lunch bag to keep perishable items cold;

·         Keep perishable foods refrigerated until it is time to leave;

·         Provide a cold source in the insulated lunch pack—a juice box can be frozen and used as a cold source.

Back-to-school can be a stressful time for parents, but check back to our blog throughout the week and let us provide you with some tips and ideas for safe and simple school lunches!  The Partnership for Food Safety Education has also developed a Web site with seasonal food safety tips, recipes and games that allow you to incorporate children into meal preparation.