Parents consider lunch boxes at the top of the shopping list when preparing kids for school resumption. A Lunch box (กล่อง ข้าว, which is the term in Thai) can fit easily into backpacks and help protect soft foods like peaches and bananas during chaotic school days.

Keeping food stored at safe temperatures can be challenging when kids are always on the go.

For keeping foods cool, it isn’t advisable to store your foods in paper grocery bags, and plastic bags aren’t the best either. To help keep food safe for eating several hours after leaving homes, experts recommend insulated lunch boxes.

Insulated lunch boxes usually contain an outer layer made of a plastic fabric like vinyl, nylon or polyester that can be hardly stained or torn. The inner layer is generally made from a water-resistant material such as plastic, aluminium, vinyl, and foil liners; they are ideal and help keep food fresh and dry. The inner layer (middle) of insulating foam is made from a durable polyethylene plastic, polyurethane or thermal batting produced out of polyester fibers.

Though insulated, lunch bags are often ideal for ensuring your food is kept cool, integrating at least two cold sources, like gel packs or ice especially for perishable food, can be helpful.

What Do Food Safety Say About Lunch Boxes?

Food safety experts recommend using insulated lunch boxes to help keep food fresh and help protect kids from food borne illnesses. In an event where you don’t own an insulated lunch box, it is recommended by USDA to utilize a frozen juice box as your freezer pack which makes your juice thawed and ready to take by lunchtime.

Also, ensure to wash your hands when preparing your food, and equally teach your kids how to wash their hands before consuming their lunch. They can utilize hand-sanitizing gels if water and soap isn’t available.