School lunches can become unsafe to eat
When school lunches get too warm, the food can become unsafe to eat. To help keep your children from getting sick, keep lunches safe by:
- having clean hands and utensils when making packed lunches
- freezing drink bottles overnight for an instant ice block, or use a mini-freezer pack
- keeping perishable foods (like cold meats or egg sandwiches) safe by packing between cold items like yoghurt
- giving lunch boxes a good wash before and after use.
Children at school can help by:
- keeping their lunch boxes out of the sun and heat
- washing and drying their hands before eating
- eating chilled foods first.
How to wash and dry your hands
Find other food safety tips for the home
Watch our 'Love lunches' videos for tips
In the videos, you'll find out about:
- keeping lunches cool
- keeping them clean
- eating smart.
Keep it cool (0:15)
Transcript – show/hide
We see an orange coloured background, and a lunch box with the words 'Love your Lunches' on it lands in the middle of the screen.
Narrator: "School lunch safety starts with you."
The lunch box zooms off-screen, to be replaced by text that says "Keep it Cool" next to a tick icon.
Narrator: "Keep it cool, so they don't get sick."
The narrator's words come up on the screen and icicle graphics fall in the background.
Narrator: "Chill your kids' packed lunches in the fridge overnight. Add an icepack or frozen drink bottle. And remind them to store lunches out of the sun, so they stay cool."
Finally, the lunch box with the words 'Love your Lunches' on it comes back on screen. The narrator says, "Love your lunches".
The New Zealand Food Safety logo appears at the bottom of the screen with the caption 'Learn more about lunch box food safety at foodsafety.govt.nz/lunchboxes'.
[End of transcript]
Keep it clean (0:15)
Transcript – show/hide
We see an orange coloured background, and a lunch box with the words 'Love your Lunches' on it lands in the middle of the screen.
Narrator: "School lunch safety starts with you."
The lunch box zooms off-screen, to be replaced by text that says 'Keep it Clean' next to a tick icon.
Narrator: "Keep it clean, so they don't get sick."
The narrator's words come up on screen.
Narrator: "Wash your hands before you make their lunches. And clean and dry lunch boxes before and after use."
Finally, the lunch box with the words 'Love your Lunches' on it comes back on screen. The narrator says, "Love your lunches".
The New Zealand Food Safety logo appears at the bottom of the screen with the caption 'Learn more about lunch box food safety at foodsafety.govt.nz/lunchboxes'.
[End of transcript]
Eat smart (0:15)
Transcript – show/hide
We see an orange coloured background, and a lunch box with the words 'Love your Lunches' on it lands in the middle of the screen.
Narrator: "School lunch safety starts with you."
The lunch box zooms off-screen, to be replaced by text that says 'Eat Smart' next to a tick icon.
Narrator: "Eating smart helps avoid illness."
The narrator's words come up on screen.
Narrator: "Encourage kids to eat perishables first instead of leaving them till after school."
Finally, the lunch box with the words 'Love your Lunches' on it comes back onto screen. The narrator says, "Love your lunches".
The New Zealand Food Safety logo appears at the bottom of the screen with the caption 'Learn more about lunch box food safety at foodsafety.govt.nz/lunchboxes'.
[End of transcript]
Who to contact
If you have questions about food safety at home, email info@mpi.govt.nz
