Lunchtime food safety ... at school and work.

The return to school and work means it’s time to start packing lunches again. Careful food preparation and storage are key steps for food safety. Follow our tips to keep the lunchbox bugs at bay.

Lunch is likely to be stored for several hours before it’s eaten so it’s especially important to follow hygienic food-preparation methods. Start by washing and drying your hands thoroughly and always use clean boards and utensils.

Keeping it cool

To prevent bugs that cause food poisoning, perishable foods such as yoghurt, eggs, soft cheeses and meats need to be kept cool in the hours between preparing and eating lunch.

No access to a fridge at work or school? Then pack food in a lunchbox or insulated bag with a freezer pack. Or use a frozen water bottle instead of the freezer pack (it can double up as a cold drink, once it’s thawed).

If keeping foods cool is going to be a problem, avoid perishable foods. Non-perishables such as bread (with peanut butter or vegemite), whole fruit and unopened cans of meat or fish don’t need to be kept cool. They can be safely put into the lunchbox.

Look at making sandwiches the night before – or even on the weekend – and then wrapping and freezing them. Suitable fillings include cold cooked meat, peanut butter or vegemite, and cheese. Put the frozen sandwiches into the lunchbox in the morning … and by lunchtime they’ll have thawed and be ready to eat.

At the end of the day, throw out any uneaten perishable food. And make sure lunchboxes and bags are washed in hot soapy water so they’re ready for use the next day.

The office kitchen

When it comes to your workplace kitchen, start the year as you mean to go on. Clean out the fridge and freezer. Make sure benches are kept clean – and that dishcloths, brushes and tea towels are replaced every day. Wash dirty dishes in hot soapy water or put them in the dishwasher.

If you take leftovers to reheat in the microwave at work, make sure you put them in the fridge as soon as you get there. The fridge should be clean, uncrowded, and running between 2–4°C. At lunchtime, reheat leftovers until steaming hot all the way through.

Use leftovers within two days – and reheat only what you’ll eat.

More from consumer.org.nz

• Interactive lunchbox - find out how much energy, fat, sodium and sugar in popular lunchbox snacks
• Food safety quiz - test your food safety knowledge with our quick quiz

Got a question or comment on this topic? Share your views and experiences with other Consumer members...