Packing a lunch

Gone are the days of Wonder Woman and G.I. Joe lunch boxes teeming with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, an apple and a can of soda pop filling the school cafeteria.

Children now want more interesting food in their lunch boxes, such as wrap sandwiches, chicken roll-ups and pasta salads.

But along with the creative lunches making more work for moms and dads everywhere, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says these lunches could make students sick.

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection service said “bag lunches” can create potentially deadly bacteria if not handled properly.

Among its tips for safe lunch packing are keeping cold foods cold, not reusing packaging materials and using only insulated lunch boxes.

Ellen Babb, registered dietitian at McLeod Health, said cold packs are the way to go when packing lunches.

“Anything you can use within a two-hour time period is usually safe,” she said. “If it’s going to be longer than that, you need to pack a little cold packet.”

Any sandwich beyond the classic PB&J should be refrigerated, if not frozen the night before, Babb said.

“With a sandwich - if you have some meat in there - freeze the sandwich the night before and then it will thaw out so that it’s not in that danger zone long enough to be a problem,” she said.

The “danger zone” to which she refers is the period of time when the temperature of food rises above 40 degrees or below 140 degrees.

“Basically, if it’s in the refrigerator, the bacteria can still grow slowly, but once you take it out, you really need to use it in a couple of hours,” Babb said. “Especially if you have a combo of mayonnaise and protein. That’s one of your most dangerous combos.”

Another major way germs are introduced into school lunches is through unsanitary preparation, she said.

“Wash your hands and make sure your surface is sanitary,” Babb said. “Also, always use a clean utensil to put in, say, your mayonnaise jar.”

That rule is true of many items in the kitchen, she said.

“If you eat out of a little fruit cup, then you let it sit for a few hours, bacteria’s going to grow a lot faster because you’ve contaminated it,” Babb said.

Rona Ewart, a registered dietitian with Carolinas Hospital System, said no matter the meal, parents want their children to be safe.

With a few basic measures, they can make sure the lunches they send to school with their children are ready to eat.

“Be sure hands are washed before preparing lunch and encourage kids to wash their hands before they eat,” Ewart said. “If they’re not allowed to go to the bathroom, pack a wet wipe they can use.”

Ewart, like the USDA and Babb, said the biggest thing is to keep the cold stuff cold for as long as possible.

“You can stick a juice box in the freezer and then put it in the lunchbox,” she said. “If the child has lunch really early, then it’s not so much a hazard, but if your child is in high school and they’re not eating lunch until 1 p.m., then it can become a problem.”

But, Ewart said, peanut butter always is there as a safe alternative.