Use an Insulated Lunch Bag to Keep Meals Safe | Home

No matter your age, the end of summer is also a time of beginnings. This means a new school year, new episodes of your favorite TV show and the start of football season.

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Students, sports fans and outdoor enthusiasts all have one thing in common: packed lunches. However, some people still pack perishable food in an old-fashioned brown paper bag instead of an insulated lunch box. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food is unsafe to be eaten if it&#;s kept in an old-fashioned brown paper bag longer than 2 hours. Insulated lunch boxes help maintain food at a safe temperature until lunchtime.

Why keep food cold? Foodborne illness can multiply rapidly at temperatures between 40°F and 140°F. This means that if you are tailgating or leaving in the morning for school or work, you&#;ll need a plan to keep your food cold. You&#;ll want to use at least two cold sources in an insulated bag to keep perishable foods in your lunch safe; ice or gel packs in your insulated bag or box work best.

Perishable foods, such as cold cut sandwiches and yogurt, can be left out at room temperature for no more than 2 hours before they become unsafe to eat. With an insulated lunch box and a chilled freezer gel pack, perishable food can stay cold and safe to eat until lunch. You can find re-usable cold sources at the store (right next to the lunch boxes) or make your own by filling a water bottle or plastic container with water and freezing it. Depending on how much food you are packing you may need several cold sources. Above all, choose a lunch box or tote that is easy to clean.

Packing a hot lunch? Use an insulated container to keep your food hot until lunchtime. Before you warm up your food, fill the container with boiling water and let it stand while you heat your food. Heat your food to at least 165°F, then empty the water out of the insulated container, pack your food and seal it tight. Keep the container closed until lunchtime so the food stays hot. If you are heating a cold entrée in your office kitchen be sure to heat it until it is 165°F, or hot and steaming.

When packing your insulated lunch bag, remember to add some hand wipes, so you can clean your hands before eating if there are no facilities nearby. When you return home and empty your bag or box, wipe the insides with hot soapy water and let it air dry so that it is ready for your next adventure.

For more information on packing safe lunches see: Keeping "Bag" Lunches Safe

Call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at (1-888-674-) Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, or or chat at AskKaren.gov.

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Still, keeping food stored at safe temperatures can be difficult when kids are always on the go. Food safety specialists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service recommend using insulated lunch boxes to help keep food fresh and protect kids from foodborne illnesses. Perishable lunch food (food that must be refrigerated) like deli meats and cheese, milk and yogurt should never sit at room temperature for more than two hours, or more than one hour if the air temperature is above 90° F.

What materials are used in insulated lunch boxes?

Insulated lunch boxes usually contain an outer layer made of a tough plastic fabric like vinyl, nylon or polyester that can be hard to stain or tear. The bag&#;s inner layer is usually made from a water-resistant material &#; plastic, aluminum, vinyl and foil liners are common and help keep food fresh and dry. An inside middle layer of insulating foam is typically made from materials like durable polyurethane, polyethylene plastic or thermal batting made out of polyester fibers.

While insulated, soft-sided lunch boxes or bags can often be best for keeping food cool, packing at least two cold sources, such as gel packs or ice can help.

Lunch boxes also can be made from silicone, glass and metal. While these materials are also tough and durable, if they don&#;t have interior insulation, adding an ice or gel pack to keep food cool will help keep food safe to eat. Reusable gel packs are often made of materials like hydroxyethyl cellulose (a thickening agent made from plants), sodium polyacrylate (a type of salt) or vinyl-coated silica gel that will not contaminate the food if the pack breaks.

Don&#;t have an insulated lunch box?

Although brown paper bags and plastic grocery bags are not ideal for keeping food cool, the USDA suggests using a frozen juice box as a freezer pack&#;by lunchtime, the juice should be thawed and ready to drink.

Make sure hands are clean before preparing lunches and that children know to wash their hands thoroughly before lunch or snack time. If water and soap are not readily available, consider adding moist towelettes or hand-sanitizing gels to the lunch box.

» Learn more about plastics used in food packaging.

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