Don't Lose Your Lunch : Food Safety Tips for Pre-Teens

Kids of a certain age don’t listen… at least as well as they did when younger. Which makes it challenge to motivate them to eat well, especially when they’re in a growth spurt and the accompanying spurts in appetite and nutrition needs. And they seem to care even less about eating safely. Let’s face it, they probably don’t want to hear about it from their parents. And parents have to choose their areas of emphasis (aka battles). And they almost most certainly won’t be interested in what  the Food Safety Dietitian has to say about it.

 So I asked Shevi Serebryanski to weigh in. Shevi’s what I’d call a Nutrition Triple Threat: She’s a biochemistry major, a teacher and future dietitian. I know at least one other Triple Threat. She’s in the Entertainment industry, that’s my niece Cian Coey, who excels at singing, dancing and acting…she’s done all 3 when on tour with Meat Loaf and Dweezil Zappa. Maybe I could add modeling to Cian’s skills: She participated in Mother- Daughter modeling gig for KeepSafe Food Chopping Mats when her tour brought her to Columbus. Then she’d become a Quadruple Threat.

Triple Threat: Shevi Serebryanski

KeepSafe Food Celebrity Shot: Sister Barb & Quadruple Threat Cian Coey, back in the days when their were Concert Tours.

Cian Coey in “Paradise”

Shevi came up with a few lunch food safety priority recommendations based on observations of what she’s seen of  habits in the NY school where she is on staff and kids are in class. Keep it simple! Focus on temperatures and allergies. She also created the graphics to go along with them.

HOT: Fill it Hot to Keep it Hot

Pack chili or soups in an insulated thermos while they are hot, and not after they have been cooled. A great tip for packing hot lunches is to preheat your thermos. Fill it with boiling water, let it sit for a few minutes, pour out the water, then add your hot food. 

COLD: 2 Chill Packs per Lunch

If refrigerators are available: You’re cool, but not all schools have them.

Perishable foods, like lunch meats, eggs, cheese, milk or yogurt, should be kept cold. 

A workaround is to pack lunch with at least 2 freezer packs.  A frozen ice pack, juice box or water bottle overnight works too. By lunchtime, the beverages should be thawed and ready to drink, and the food it was packed with will be at a safe temperature. 

In Between: 2 Hours @ Room Temp or Risk “Losing Your Lunch”

2 hours max at room temperature is the upper limit for food safety. Add up bus time and morning class schedules and we’re well over this limit. Bacteria are found everywhere in mother nature. I read study that showed how just 1 bacteria grew to more than 2,097,152 times in only 7 hours. There’s a math problem and a food safety disaster. Depending on the germ…it could definitely result in nausea and vomiting, hallmark symptoms that differentiate food poisoning from the flu and cause students to quite literally “lose their lunch.” Popular shelf stable lunch foods  (that don’t need to be refrigerated to remain safe) are fruits, vegetables, crackers, nuts, seeds, packaged tuna, dried fruit, muffins and cookies.

School Rules: Be Aware of School Food Allergy Policies

An estimated 8% of children nationwide have food allergies according to census data.  That’s one at every table. Every school has an allergy policy about what is and is not permitted on premise. Make sure you and your teen know them. The “P”  in the staple “go to” PB&J sandwich could be a problem.Remind kids that tradeoffs can create issues as well if their lunch buddies have an intolerance or allergy. “One student packed pickles, olives and hummus for her daily snack, and my class smelt like a deli.  But at least no one was allergic!”

After Lunch, Throw Away Uneaten Perishable Food

Now this may seem like a simple task, but the last thing you want is leftover lunch smashed and hidden at the bottom of a backpack. Most teens won’t let their parents near their backpacks but do encourage them to pitch their leftovers at school and completely empty out their back packs every so often to be sure.  

Oh, and whether kids are in school, at home or hybridizing, check out 40 Easy Lunch Ideas from RD Sally Kuzemchak At Real Mom Nutrition. We could offer our own, but Sally does it better than anyone else.

 Don’t Drip!

 And if there was ever a time to order a KeepSafe Food, Food Safety Kit for someone you love to “Protect their Plate,” Each kit comes packed in a lined backpack tote. Keeps lunch cooler longer and prevents condensation from leaking out. Only 7.99 (Venmo: Mary-Miller-176)

Insulated Tote: Included in Every Kit & Available Separately