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Just in time for back to school, a new report shows that poorly packed school lunches can become bacteria breeding grounds in the hours before students hit the cafeteria.
From Philly.com: "Fewer than 2 percent of the perishable items were in what the researchers deemed a safe temperature zone: less than 39.2 degrees or more than 140 degrees. Only 14 of 618 items - they focused on meats, dairy products, and vegetables - in lunches with one ice pack were a safe temperature. Multiple ice packs weren't much better: Just 5 of 61 items were safe. ... Unsafe temperatures allow bacteria to grow, increasing the odds that children will get a nasty food-borne illness, said Fawaz Almansour, lead author of the new study. The Agriculture Department recommends that even properly cooked foods be discarded after more than two hours at these temperatures."
And from ABCNews, a doctor who puts things in perspective: "The risk from improperly refrigerated sack lunches is real, but relatively minor in the overall picture of foodborne illnesses," said Dr. Harley Rotbart, pediatric infectious diseases expert at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and author of Germ Proof Your Kids. "The much greater risks come from inadequate handwashing -- by food preparers and food consumers -- and from home kitchen contamination of countertops, sinks and other inanimate objects with insufficiently cooked meat, chicken and fish."
Some ideas:
- Talk with local day care operators about precautions they take to be sure lunches are kept at proper temperatures. Do they have guidelines for parents?
- Talk with staff at the local university or community college food departments about training and proper food handling techniques.
- Talk with local parents about their reaction to the study.
- Call local schools to get some data on how many students are expected to pack their lunch vs. how many will purchase in the cafeteria.
Just in time for back to school, a new report shows that poorly packed school lunches can become bacteria breeding grounds in the hours before students hit the cafeteria.
From Philly.com: "Fewer than 2 percent of the perishable items were in what the researchers deemed a safe temperature zone: less than 39.2 degrees or more than 140 degrees. Only 14 of 618 items - they focused on meats, dairy products, and vegetables - in lunches with one ice pack were a safe temperature. Multiple ice packs weren't much better: Just 5 of 61 items were safe. ... Unsafe temperatures allow bacteria to grow, increasing the odds that children will get a nasty food-borne illness, said Fawaz Almansour, lead author of the new study. The Agriculture Department recommends that even properly cooked foods be discarded after more than two hours at these temperatures."
And from ABCNews, a doctor who puts things in perspective: "The risk from improperly refrigerated sack lunches is real, but relatively minor in the overall picture of foodborne illnesses," said Dr. Harley Rotbart, pediatric infectious diseases expert at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and author of Germ Proof Your Kids. "The much greater risks come from inadequate handwashing -- by food preparers and food consumers -- and from home kitchen contamination of countertops, sinks and other inanimate objects with insufficiently cooked meat, chicken and fish."
Some ideas:
- Talk with local day care operators about precautions they take to be sure lunches are kept at proper temperatures. Do they have guidelines for parents?
- Talk with staff at the local university or community college food departments about training and proper food handling techniques.
- Talk with local parents about their reaction to the study.
- Call local schools to get some data on how many students are expected to pack their lunch vs. how many will purchase in the cafeteria.
