KEY POINTS:
It's nutrition and taste that usually govern what makes it into the kids' lunchboxes, but now parents are being urged to think of a third factor when deciding what their children will eat at school this year.
With the hot summer, the New Zealand Food Safety Authority wants keeping lunches cool and free of bacteria to become just as important.
The authority's microbiologist, Roger Cook, said more parents had become conscious of providing healthier food, like sushi and salads, but with that came the need to keep the fresh foods cool.
"Warmer weather allows bacteria on food to quickly double in numbers so school lunches can spoil in a very short time, especially if they're left out in the sun, and that can make children sick."
Mr Cook had some ideas for keeping lunchboxes from becoming breeding grounds for bacteria including freezing drink bottles overnight so that there is a block of ice to keep everything cold. "Talk to your children about lunchbox safety so they know why it's important to look after their lunch and keep it cool," he said.
"And keep it inside the classroom away from the sunny and hot spots."
Or if you know the lunchbox won't be stored somewhere cool during the day, for example if your child is going on a class trip, pack foods that are safe even when they aren't cold, like fruits, vegetables, hard cheeses, meat and fish in cans, bread, crackers, pickles and spreads.
Mr Cook said a clever trick was to pack perishable foods, such as cold meats, chicken or egg sandwiches between cold items such as yoghurts and fruit salads.
And if children bring home what they haven't eaten it's safest to throw it out. When it comes to washing the lunchbox, Mr Cook said, use hot soapy water every day and make sure it's dry before it's used again.
- HAWKE'S BAY TODAY
