Is Your Lunch Safe?

++  Home-made school lunches are poisoning children!  That was the headline recently, just in time for the start of a new school year.  The gist of the article is that "brown-bag" lunches aren't always safe to eat, because of food-borne illness.  The bacteria that cause most of this kind of sickness grow very fast at or near body-temperature.  They grow fairly fast at temperatures of 40-140 degrees Fahrenheit.  Growth is much slower at more extreme temperatures, making the risk of illness also lower.  Most lunches sent to school with children doesn't stay below 40 degrees until lunch time.  

  Ways to avoid illness fall into 2 categories:
1 - Keep cold foods cold, and keep hot foods hot.  If you are using a thermos, chill it before putting cold food in it, or warm it (fill with hot water for a little while) before putting in hot foods.  If you are using an insulated lunch carrier, be sure there is enough ice to last all morning.  Some food items can be frozen and will thaw by lunchtime.  Advise children to try to avoid putting a cold lunch somewhere warm - in the sunshine, near equipment that gets warm when it is turned on, etc.
2 - Pack foods that are less temperature-sensitive.  Fresh or canned fruits and vegetables are usually okay, as are most kinds of bread products.  High-protein foods and their by-products (e g. gravy) are the worst trouble-causers.  Soft cheeses go bad quickly, and most kinds of meat also should be avoided  A few kinds of processed cheeses and lunch meats (cold cuts) are likely to be safe (they are mostly filler), and so are some kinds of hard cheese - read the labels.  Peanut butter is another stand-by. 

  As a rule of thumb, if you would normally store it in the refrigerator at home, if it is found in the refrigerated section of the supermarket, or if the label says to refrigerate after opening, it's not a good thing to pack in your children's lunch. Don't let the lunch you pack poison children!