WASHINGTON, August 15, 2022 – On your next back-to-school shopping trip, be sure to include food safety items on your shopping list to keep school lunches safe.
“Every day, parents focus on the health and safety of their children, and that focus includes how they prepare and pack lunches,” said Sandra Eskin, Deputy Secretary for Food Safety at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). “Because children are especially at risk of serious foodborne illness, food safety should be at the top of the list when preparing lunches for school and field trips.”
Consider the following for your shopping list:
- Clean and disinfect surfaces and utensils: Clean up your prep area before you start that school lunch. A recent USDA study (PDF, 102 KB) showed that cross-contamination was widespread in the kitchen during food preparation. Therefore, be sure to wash your cutting boards, dishes, utensils and countertops with soap and water after preparing each food item and before moving on to the next item. A homemade bleach-based solution of one tablespoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach to one gallon of water can be used to disinfect surfaces and dishes in the kitchen.
- Different colored cutting boards: Separate meat and poultry from prepared foods (such as fruits, vegetables, cheeses, etc.) to avoid cross-contamination during food preparation.
- Food thermometers for food preparation: If you’re cooking a frozen item for your child’s lunch, use a food thermometer to check that the meal has reached a safe temperature to kill any harmful bacteria. Caution: Some frozen foods are not fully cooked or ready to eat, but have browning, grill marks, or other signs that suggest they have been cooked. Make sure they’re cooked to a safe internal temperature: meat (whole beef, pork, and lamb) 145 F with a 3-minute rest; ground meat 160 F; poultry (ground and whole) 165 F; eggs 160 F; fish and shellfish 145 F; and scraps and 165 F pans.
- Insulated lunch boxes and gel packs: Perishable food may be unsafe to eat at lunchtime if packed in a paper bag. Keep your meal fresh by storing it in an insulated bag. Place a frozen gel pack, combined with a frozen juice box or water bottle to keep food cold and avoid the “Danger Zone” (temperatures between 40 F and 140 F where bacteria can multiply quickly and cause disease).
- Insulated containers: If hot liquids such as soup, chili, or stew are on the menu, use an insulated container to keep hot items at 140 F and above. Fill the container with boiling water, let it sit for a few minutes, empty it and then discard the hot food. Keep the insulated container closed until lunch time.
- Hand washing aid: 60% alcohol-based hand wipes and sanitizers are ideal for children to clean their hands before eating when soap and water are not available.
Read more about USDA’s four steps to food safety and get answers to your food safe lunch questions by calling the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854), send email [email protected] or chat live at ask.usda.gov from 10 am to 6 pm EST, Monday through Friday.
Access FSIS news releases and other information at www.fsis.usda.gov/newsroom. Follow FSIS on Twitter at twitter.com/usdafoodsafety or in Spanish at: twitter.com/usdafoodsafe_es.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans every day in many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy, and affordable food. nutritional value in all communities, building new markets and income streams for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in clean energy infrastructure and capacity in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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